faces
difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing
poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and
near-term prospects. In March 2006, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.958 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.093 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.2%
industry: 55.3%
services: 38.5% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.6% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
27.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.985 billion
expenditures: $1.664 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee,
cocoa; forest products

Industries:
petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil,
soap, flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
6.847 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.3%
hydro: 99.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
5.127 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
1.25 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
9 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
267,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$1.215 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$5.996 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners:
China 38.4%, US 28.6%, Taiwan 11.6%, South Korea 7.1% (2005)

Imports: