Since April 1994,
the government commitment to economic reforms has been erratic.
Enormous obstacles stand in the way of Madagascar's realizing its
considerable growth potential.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita: $820 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 35%
industry: 15%
services: 50% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 35% (1994 est.)

Labor force:
total workers: 4.9 million
workers not receiving money wages: 4.7 million (96% of total labor
force); note - 4.3 million workers are in subsistence agriculture
wage earners: 175,400 (3.6% of total work force)
wage earners by occupation: agriculture 45,500, domestic service
29,750, industry 26,250, commerce 24,500, construction 19,250,
service 15,750, transportation 10,500, other 3,500 (1985 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $250 million
expenditures: $265 million, including capital expenditures of $180
million (1991 est.)

Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar,
textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper,
petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (1993 est.)

Electricity:
capacity: 220,000 kW
production: 560 million kWh
consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1993)

Agriculture: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice,
cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild
varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point
for heroin

Exports: $240 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: coffee 45%, vanilla 20%, cloves 11%, shellfish, sugar,
petroleum products
partners: France, US, Germany, Japan, Russia

Imports: $510 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%,
petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%
partners: France, Germany, Japan, UK, Italy, Netherlands

External debt: $4.3 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $318 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1 - 4,239.5 (November
1995), 3,067.3 (1994), 1,913.8 (1993), 1,864.0 (1992), 1,835.4 (1991)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation
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Railways:
total: 883 km
narrow gauge: 883 km 1.000-m gauge