moderation in
wage and consumer price increases and a steady reduction in
unemployment to 5.2% of the labor force. In 1990, however, growth
slowed to 1% because of a combination of factors, such as the
worldwide increase in interest rates, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in
August, the subsequent spurt in oil prices, and a general decline
in business and consumer confidence. Ongoing problems for the
1990s include inadequate investment in education and other economic
infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and
trade deficits.

_#_GNP: $5,465 billion, per capita $21,800; real growth rate 1.0%
(1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $1,106 billion; expenditures $1,272 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)

_#_Exports: $393.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and
raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products;

partners--Western Europe 27.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 12.1% (1989)

_#_Imports: $516.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities--crude and partly refined petroleum, machinery,
automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and
beverages;

partners--Western Europe 21.5%, Japan 19.7%, Canada 18.8% (1989)

_#_External debt: $581 billion (December 1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.0% (1990)

_#_Electricity: 776,550,000 kW capacity; 3,020,000 million kWh
produced, 12,080 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly
diversified; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace,
telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer
goods, fishing, lumber, mining

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GNP and 2.8% of labor force;
favorable climate and soils support a wide variety of crops and livestock
production; world's second-largest producer and number-one exporter of
grain; surplus food producer; fish catch of 5.0 million metric tons
(1988)

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for domestic
consumption with 1987 production estimated at 3,500 metric tons
or about 25% of the available marijuana; ongoing eradication program
aimed at small plots and greenhouses has not reduced production

_#_Economic aid: donor--commitments, including ODA and OOF, (FY80-89),
$115.7 billion

_#_Currency: United States dollar (plural--dollars);
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