ear-zero growth in 1998-2001 and
contracted by 2.3 percent in 2002, in response to regional contagion
and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. On a per capita basis,
real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute
Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty,
corruption, lack of progress on structural reform, substantial
internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure. Aided by a
firmer exchange rate and perhaps a greater confidence in the
economic policy of the DUARTE FRUTOS administration, the economy
rebounded between 2003 and 2006, posting modest growth each year.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$30.64 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.696 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,700 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.4%
industry: 18.4%
services: 59.2% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.742 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 45%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Unemployment rate:
9.4% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
32% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.8 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.773 billion
expenditures: $1.733 billion; including capital expenditures of $700
million (2006 est.)

Public debt:
30.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava
(tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber

Industries:
sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel,
metallurgic, electric power

Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
51.77 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 99.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.1% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.133 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
45.01 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
27,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Natural gas - productio