erable influence over
the legislature

Economy Malawi

Economy - overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least
developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural,
with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture
accounts for 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues. The economy depends
on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World
Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved
for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The
government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market
economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental
problems, and to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS.
The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $7 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $660 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40% industry: 19% services:
41% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 54% (FY90/91 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 28.6% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 4.5 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 86% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $490 million expenditures: $523 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 825 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.03% hydro: 96.97%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 767.25 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes,
cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats, groundnuts, Macadamia
nuts

Exports: $415.5 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Exports - commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts,
wood products, apparel

Exports - partners: South Africa 18%, Germany 13%, US 13%, UK 10%,
Japan 7%, Netherlands 3% (2000)

Imports: $463.6 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures,
consumer goods, tran