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Economy Guatemala

Economy - overview:
Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American
countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil,
Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about
one-fourth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor
force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. The 1996
signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed
a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has
pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The
distribution of income remains highly unequal with about 75% of the
population below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include
increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from
international donors, upgrading both government and private
financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking, and narrowing the
trade deficit. Remittances from a large expatriate community that
moved to the United States during the war have become an important
source of foreign exchange.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$60.57 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$28.84 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,900 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.5%
industry: 18.8%
services: 58.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
3.85 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 50%
industry: 15%
services: 35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
7.5% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
75% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 46% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
48.3 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.6% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
15.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.894 billion
expenditures: $4.828 billion; including capital expenditures of $750
million (2006 est.)

Public debt:
25.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep,
pigs, chickens

Industries:
sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum,
metals, rubber, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (1999)

Electricity - production:
7.604 billion kWh (2004)

Electricit