d
default on external loans later that year. Continued economic instability
drove a 70% depreciation of the currency throughout 1999, which forced
a desperate government to "dollarize" the currency regime in 2000. The
move stabilized the currency, but did not stave off the ouster of the
government. Gustavo NOBOA, who assumed the presidency in January 2000,
has managed to pass substantial economic reforms and mend relations
with international financial institutions. Ecuador completed its first
standby agreement since 1986 when the IMF Board approved a 10 December
2001 disbursement of $96 million, the final installment of a $300 million
standby credit agreement.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $39.6 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.3% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11% industry: 25% services:
64% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 70% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 43.7 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 3.7 million (urban)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%
(2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14%; note - widespread underemployment (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $5.6 billion expenditures: planned $5.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper
products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber

Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 10.395 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 25.01% hydro: 74.99%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 9.667 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc
(tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy
products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

Exports: $4.8 billion (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa,
cut flowers, fish

Exports - partners: US 38%, Peru 6%, Chile 5%, Colombia 5%, Italy 3%
(2000)

Imports: $4.8 billion (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment,