York

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint
Lucia

Flag description: blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black
arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

@Saint Lucia:Economy

Economy - overview: The recent changes in the EU import preference
regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have
made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia.
Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism
industry helped expand GDP in 1998-99. The agriculture sector
registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a
severe decline in banana production. The manufacturing sector is the
most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean, and the government is beginning
to develop regulations for the small offshore financial sector.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $656 million (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,300 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10.7%
industry: 32.3%
services: 57% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 43,800

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%,
industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1
million (FY97/98 est.)

Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages,
corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut
processing

Industrial production growth rate: -8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 110 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 102 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root
crops, cocoa

Exports: $75 million (1998)

Exports - commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables,
fruits, coconut oil

Exports - partners: UK 50%, US 24%, Caricom countries 16% (1995)

Imports: $290 million (1998)

Imports - commodities: f