ation goals remain limited. In 1998-2001, Turkmenistan
has suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for
natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external
debt. At the same time, however, total exports have risen sharply
because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the
near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the
burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt
market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the
international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid,
and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state
secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 10% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27% industry: 45% services:
28% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 34.4% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.8 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 2.34 million (1996)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37%
(1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $588.6 million expenditures: $658.2 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food
processing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 9.256 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.94% hydro: 0.06%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 7.708 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 900 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: cotton, grain; livestock

Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: gas 33%, oil 30%, cotton fiber 18%, textiles 8%
(1999)

Exports - partners: Ukraine 27%, Iran 14%, Turkey 11%, Italy 9%,
Switzerland 5% (1999)

Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999)

Imports - partners: Turkey 17