ican countries upon
independence that they became known as the pan-African colors

_*_Economy
_#_Overview: Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed
countries in Africa. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture,
which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total
employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The
manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural
sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less then 10% of
agriculture, is state run. Favorable agricultural weather largely
explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89.

_#_GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate - 0.4%
(FY89 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA

_#_Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $842 million (FY88)

_#_Exports: $429 million (f.o.b., FY88);

commodities--coffee 60%, hides;

partners--US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy,
Saudi Arabia

_#_Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88);

commodities--food, fuels, capital goods;

partners--USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France

_#_External debt: $2.6 billion (1988)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts
for 13% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 330,000 kW capacity; 700 million kWh produced,
14 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals,
metals processing, cement

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important
sector of the economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation
practices keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of
coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of
agricultural production at subsistence level; principal crops and
livestock--cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and
other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $3.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0 billion

_#_Currency: birr (plural--birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1--2.0700 (fixed rate)

_#_Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 988 km total; 681 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km
0