00, Riyadh expects to have a $7.5 billion budget deficit in part
because of increased spending for education and other social problems.
The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the
electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the
telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue
calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence
on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi
population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will
constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in
agricultural products.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $191 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.6% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 47%
services: 47% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -1.2% (1999)

Labor force: 7 million
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services
63% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $41.9 billion
expenditures: $49.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic
petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 110.132 billion kWh (1998)

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

Electricity - consumption: 102.423 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates,
citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk

Exports: $48 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Exports - partners: Japan 17%, US 15%, South Korea 11%, Singapore 8%,
India 4%, France 4% (1998)

Imports: $28 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals,
motor vehicles, textiles

Imports - partners: US 21%, UK 9%, Japan 9%, Germany 6%, France 5%,
Italy 4% (1998)

Debt - external: $28 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - donor: pledged $100 mi