Economy - overview:
Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate
mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The
territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural
production, and most of the food for the urban population must be
imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by
the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed
contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which
has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in
Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Labor force:
12,000
Labor force - by occupation:
animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries:
phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
90 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
83.7 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep,
goats (kept by nomads)
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
phosphates 62%
Exports - partners:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners
are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners
are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Currency:
Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code:
MAD
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001),
10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997)
Fiscal year:
calendar year