due to the Asian financial
difficulties have caused GDP to fall in 1996-98.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$91 million (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,450 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 13%
services: 72% (1995)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1997)

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 16% (1991 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $80.1 million
expenditures: $77.4 million, including capital expenditures of $19.5
million (FY95/96 est.)

Industries: copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood,
and pearls, offshore banking (embryonic)

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 57 million kWh (1994)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%

Electricity--consumption: 57 million kWh (1994)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1994)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1994)

Agriculture--products: coconuts, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits;
pigs, chickens

Exports: $17.5 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)

Exports--commodities: fish, coconut oil, fish, trochus shells

Exports--partners: US, Japan, Australia

Imports: $71.8 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)

Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels,
beverages and tobacco

Imports--partners: US, Japan, Australia, NZ

Debt--external: $125 million (FY96/97 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $NA; note?approximately $65 million
annually from the US

Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 October--30 September

Communications

Telephones: 2,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system: telex services
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean);
US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 3 (of which one is an independent
station and two are US military stations) (1997)

Tel