rican bananas have made economic
diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island
nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment,
especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. Tourism
is the main source of foreign exchange, with more than 700,000
arrivals in 2005. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in
the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to
revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid,
even though unemployment needs to be cut.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$866 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$825 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 15%
services: 80% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
43,800 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
20% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.9% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million; including capital expenditures of
$25.1 million (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Industries:
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated
cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate:
-8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
290 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
269.7 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
2,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Exports:
$82 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Exports - partners:
France 31.4%, US 18.7%, China 18.2%, UK 14% (2005)

Imports:
$410 million (2004 est.)

Imports -