Economy - overview:
The Gambia has no important mineral or other natural resources and
has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends
on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing
activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides.
Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic
activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan,
and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of
the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The government's 1998
seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest
purchaser of Gambian groundnuts; the following two marketing seasons
have seen substantially lower prices and sales. A decline in tourism
in 2000 has also held back growth. Unemployment and underemployment
rates are extremely high. Shortrun economic progress remains highly
dependent on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on
responsible government economic management as forwarded by IMF
technical help and advice, and on expected growth in the
construction sector.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.582 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 13%
services: 54% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
400,000
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 75%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 6%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $90.5 million
expenditures: $80.9 million, including capital expenditures of $4.1
million (2001 est.)
Industries:
processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism; beverages;
agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking; clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
85.33 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
79.36 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca),
palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports:
$138 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports
Exports - partners:
France 21.9%, UK 19.1%, Malaysia 11.8%, Italy 11.1%, Germany 7.3%,
Belgium 6.3%, South Africa 4.2% (2002)
Imports:
$225 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment
Imports - partners:
China 21.8%, Senegal 8.9%, Brazil 7.8%, UK 6.5%, Netherlands 5.4%,
India 4.9%, Belgium 4.5%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2002)
Debt - external:
$476 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$45.4 million (1995)
Currency:
dalasi (GMD)
Currency code:
GMD
Exchange rates:
dalasi per US dollar - NA (2002), 15.69 (2001), 12.79 (2000), 11.4
(1999), 10.64 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year