oorest countries, is buffeted
by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and
counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated
by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new
investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture
and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The
economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force.
Industry mainly processes agricultural items. Sluggish economic
performance over the past decade, attributable largely to declining
annual rainfall, has reduced levels of per capita income and
consumption. A high foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause
difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund took the unusual
step of declaring Sudan noncooperative on account of its nonpayment of
arrearages to the Fund.

_#_GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $330; real growth rate - 7%
(FY90 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 60% (FY90 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA

_#_Budget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $1.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.)

_#_Exports: $465 million (f.o.b., FY90 est.);

commodities--cotton 52%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts;

partners--Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%,
Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)

_#_Imports: $1.0 billion (c.i.f., FY90 est.);

commodities--petroleum products 28%, manufactured goods, machinery
and equipment, medicines and chemicals;

partners--Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%,
Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)

_#_External debt: $12.3 billion (December 1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 0.7% (FY89); accounts for
11% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced,
37 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar,
soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force;
water shortages; two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and
livestock; major products--cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat,
gum arabic, sheep; marginally self-sufficient in most foods

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.5
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $4.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $588 milli