| Economy - overview: |
Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, flagging socio-economic indicators, and huge external debt. While the country has made progress toward macro-economic stabilization over the past few years, a banking crisis and scandal has shaken the economy. Managua will continue to be dependent on international aid and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Donors have made aid conditional on improving governability, the openness of government financial operation, poverty alleviation, and human rights. Nicaragua met the conditions for additional debt service relief in December 2000. Growth should remain moderate to high in 2001.
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| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $13.1 billion (2000 est.)
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| GDP - real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.)
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| GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)
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| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture:
31.6%
industry:
22.8%
services:
45.6% (1999)
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| Population below poverty line: |
50% (2000 est.)
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| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.6%
highest 10%:
39.8% (1993)
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| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
11% (2000 est.)
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| Labor force: |
1.7 million (1999)
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| Labor force - by occupation: |
services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.)
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| Unemployment rate: |
20% plus considerable underemployment (1999 est.)
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| Budget: |
revenues:
$734 million
expenditures:
$836 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
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| Industries: |
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
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| Industrial production growth rate: |
4.4% (2000 est.)
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| Electricity - production: |
2.349 billion kWh (1999)
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| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel:
67.26%
hydro:
17.71%
nuclear:
0%
other:
15.03% (1999)
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| Electricity - consumption: |
2.265 billion kWh (1999)
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| Electricity - exports: |
20 million kWh (1999)
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| Electricity - imports: |
100 million kWh (1999)
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| Agriculture - products: |
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
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| Exports: |
$631 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
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| Exports - commodities: |
coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, beef, sugar, bananas; gold
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| Exports - partners: |
US 37.7%, El Salvador 12.5%, Germany 9.8%, Costa Rica 5.1%, Spain 2.5%, France 2.1% (1999)
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| Imports: |
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
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| Imports - commodities: |
machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods
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| Imports - partners: |
US 34.5%, Costa Rica 11.4%, Guatemala 7.3%, Panama 6.9%, Venezuela 5.9%, El Salvador 5.5% (1999)
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| Debt - external: |
$6.4 billion (2000 est.)
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| Economic aid - recipient: |
NA
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| Currency: |
gold cordoba (NIO)
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| Exchange rates: |
gold cordobas per US dollar - 12.96 (November 2000), 12.69 (2000 est.), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998), 9.45 (1997), 8.44 (1996)
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| Fiscal year: |
calendar year
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