war
has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80%
of Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaging key surface
facilities. Western firefighters had brought about 140 of the 600
oil well fires and blowouts under control as of early June 1991.
It could take two to three years to restore Kuwait's oil production to
its prewar level of about 2.0 million barrels per day.

_#_GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5%
(1989)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: 0% (1989)

_#_Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion,
including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)

_#_Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--oil 90%;

partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US

_#_Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--food, construction materials, vehicles and parts,
clothing;

partners--Japan, US, FRG, UK

_#_External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for
52% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced,
5,000 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food
processing, salt, construction

_#_Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about
75% of potable water must be distilled or imported

_#_Economic aid: donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less
developed countries (1979-89)

_#_Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars);
1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils

_#_Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1--0.2915 (January
1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007
(1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

_*_Communications
_#_Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand,
light gravel

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas,
165 km

_#_Ports: Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi

_#_Merchant marine: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,332,159
GRT/2,099,303 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 4 livestock carrier,
20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 1 bulk;
note--all Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti
waters at the time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred
to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states;
Kuwaiti tankers are current