Economy - overview:
The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK,
which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of
annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from
fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because
there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek
employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%,
services 46% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY92)
Industries:
construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da
Cunha)
Exports:
$704,000 f.o.b. (1995)
Exports - commodities:
fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee,
handicrafts
Exports - partners:
US 23.7%, Japan 20.5%, Netherlands 16%, Tanzania 15.4%, Spain 6.4%,
UK 5.1%, Indonesia 4.5% (2002)
Imports:
$14.434 million c.i.f. (1995)
Imports - commodities:
food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building
materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners:
UK 47.6%, Tanzania 14.6%, Italy 12.1%, South Africa 10.9%, US 5.3%
(2002)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Currency:
Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Currency code:
SHP
Exchange rates:
Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001),
0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998),
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March