lies on revenues from its
maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange
earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of
incomes in this ravaged economy depends on the implementation of
sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government,
including the encouragement of foreign investment.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$2.8 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,000 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 36%
services: 34%

Population below poverty line: 80%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 70%

Unemployment rate: 70%

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA

Industries: rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds

Industrial production growth rate: 0%

Electricity--production: 480 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 480 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava
(tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee

Exports--partners: Belgium, Norway, Ukraine, Singapore (1997)

Imports: $3.65 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation
equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs

Imports--partners: South Korea, Japan, Italy, Singapore (1997)

Debt--external: $2 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $122.8 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1--1.0000 (officially
fixed rate since 1940); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars (L$)
per US$1--40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995), 7 (January 1992);
market rate floats against the US dollar

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: fewer than 25,000 (1998 est.)

Telephone system: telephone and telegraph service via microwave
radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat