ne of the poorest
countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of
$7,800 in 2001. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best
credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of expansion and
currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for four-fifths
of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising
are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with
high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%,
but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection
rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive
economic gains.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.4 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 44% (including
36% mining) services: 52% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 47% (2000 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.6% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 264,000 formal sector employees (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.3 billion expenditures: $2.4 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02)

Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock
processing; textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 500 million kWh (2000)

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

Electricity - consumption: 1.451 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 986 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans,
sunflowers, groundnuts

Exports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds 80%, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat,
textiles (2001)

Exports - partners: EFTA 85%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
10%, Zimbabwe 2% (1999)

Imports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport
equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products,
metal and metal products (2000)

Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SAC