, which has a different coat of arms
centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the
words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom;
also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged
in an X pattern centered in the white band

Economy El Salvador

Economy - overview: El Salvador is a struggling Central American
economy which has been suffering from a weak tax collection system,
factory closings, the aftermaths of Hurricane Mitch of 1998 and the
devastating earthquakes of early 2001, and weak world coffee prices. On
the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to single digit
levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The trade deficit
has been offset by remittances (an estimated $1.6 billion in 2000) from
Salvadorans living abroad and by external aid. As of 1 January 2001,
the US dollar was made legal tender alongside the colon. Growth in 2002
will depend largely on the speed of recovery in the US.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $28.4 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services:
60% (2000)

Population below poverty line: 48% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 50.8 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 2.35 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55%
(1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10% (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.1 billion expenditures: $2.5 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 3.69 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 35.5%
other: 22.2% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 4.07 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 112 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 750 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed,
cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products

Exports: $2.9 billion (2001)

Exports - commodities: offshore assembly ex