ign investment through international tender of the oil distribution
company, a leading cashmere company, and banks. Reform was held back by
the ex-Communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability brought
about through four successive governments under the DC. Economic growth
picked up in 1997-99 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural
disasters and declines in world prices of copper and cashmere. In August
and September 1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban
on exports of oil and oil products, and Mongolia remains vulnerable
in this sector. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO)
in 1997. The international donor community pledged over $300 million
per year at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar
in June 1999. The MPRP government, elected in July 2000, is anxious to
improve the investment climate; it must also deal with a heavy burden
of external debt. Falling prices for Mongolia's mainly primary sector
exports, widespread opposition to privatization, and adverse effects of
weather on agriculture in early 2000 and 2001 restrained real GDP growth
in 2000-01.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,770 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32% industry: 30% services:
38% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 36% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 24.5% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.2 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.4 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: primarily herding/agricultural

Unemployment rate: 20% (2000)

Budget: revenues: $262 million expenditures: $328 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: construction materials, mining (coal, copper, molybdenum,
fluorspar, and gold); oil; food and beverages, processing of animal
products

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 2.77 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 2.732 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 25 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 181 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, pot