Economy - overview Tourism, petroleum transshipment, and offshore finance are the mainstaysof this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. The islandsenjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as comparedwith other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goodsare imported, with Venezuela and the US being the major suppliers. Poor soilsand inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.

GDP purchasing power parity - $2.04 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 0% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $9,800 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (1996 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index 3% (1996)

Labor force
total: 89,000
by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

Unemployment rate 13.4% (1993 est.)

Budget
revenues: $209 million
expenditures : $232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)

Industries tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao),petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing(Curacao)

Industrial production growth rate NA%

Electricity - capacity 307,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production 970 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita 4,580 kWh (1994 est.)

Agriculture - products aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Exports
total value: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: petroleum products 98%
partners: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%

Imports
total value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities : crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners: Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%

Debt - external $1.95 billion (December 1995)

Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA; the Netherlands Antilles received a $97 million Dutch aidpackage in 1996, making it the Netherlands' second largest aid recipient behindIndia

Currency 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents

Exchange rates Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 -1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands Antilles on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands Antilles Economy 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands Antilles Economy 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.