Economy - overview:
Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for
a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers
were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and
1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account
for nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand for
this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's
coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but
overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue.
The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986.
In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a
buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor
and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. In
2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated
potential extraction at current world oil prices. A new investment
code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct
foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve
problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. Substantial oil
production and exports probably will not begin until 2005.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.891 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 29%
services: 46% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.3 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 50%, services 40%, industry 10% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
21% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154
million (2002 est.)
Industries:
fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
157.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 85.9%
hydro: 14.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
146.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep
Exports:
$355 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners:
Italy 14.3%, France 14%, Spain 11.7%, Germany 10.9%, Belgium 9.9%,
Japan 7.1% (2002)
Imports:
$360 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
France 18.5%, Belgium 7.8%, China 7%, Spain 5.9%, Germany 5.2%
(2002)
Debt - external:
$2.5 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$220 million (2000)
Currency:
ouguiya (MRO)
Currency code:
MRO
Exchange rates:
ouguiyas per US dollar - ouguiyas per US dollar - 254.350 (December
2001), 238.923 (2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853
(1997), 137.222 (1996)
Fiscal year:
calendar year