re, is state-run. The government is
considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants and is
implementing reform measures that are gradually liberalizing the
economy. A major medium-term problem is the improvement of roads,
water supply, and other parts of an infrastructure badly neglected
during years of civil strife. Renewed fighting with Eritrea dims
economic prospects for 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$32.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$560 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 12%
services: 33% (1995 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%,
government and services 12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $415
million (FY96/97)

Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals,
metals processing, cement

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 1.32 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 7.58%
hydro: 87.12%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.3% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 1.32 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed,
sugarcane, potatoes; hides, cattle, sheep, goats

Exports: $550 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: coffee, leather products, gold, oilseeds
(1995)

Exports--partners: Germany 26%, Japan 11%, Italy 10%, UK 8%,
Djibouti, Saudi Arabia (1996 est.)

Imports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: food and live animals, petroleum and
petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles and
aircraft (1994)

Imports--partners: Italy 11%, US 11%, Germany 7%, Saudi Arabia 4%
(1996 est.)

Debt--external: $10 billion (1996)

Economic aid--recipient: $367 million (FY95/96)

Currency: 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 (end of period)--7.58 (January
1999), 6.8640 (1997), 6.4260 (1996), 6.3200 (1995), 5.9500 (1994)
note: since May 1993, the birr marke