Overview: Guinea-Bissau ranks among the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita GDP of roughly $800. Agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities. Cashew nuts, peanuts, and palm kernels are the primary exports. Exploitation of known mineral deposits is unlikely at present because of a weak infrastructure and the high cost of development.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $860 million (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA

National product per capita: $800 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 55% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $33.6 million
expenditures: $44.8 million, including capital expenditures of $570,000 (1991 est.)

Exports: $20.4 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities: cashews, fish, peanuts, palm kernels
partners: Portugal, Spain, Senegal, India, Nigeria

Imports: $63.5 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, transport equipment, petroleum products, machinery and equipment
partners: Portugal, Netherlands, China, Germany, Senegal

External debt: $462 million (December 1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 0.1% (1991 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 22,000 kW
production: 30 million kWh
consumption per capita: 30 kWh (1991)

Industries: agricultural processing, beer, soft drinks

Agriculture: accounts for over 45% of GDP, nearly 100% of exports, and 90% of employment; rice is the staple food; other crops include corn, beans, cassava, cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, and cotton; not self-sufficient in food; fishing and forestry potential not fully exploited

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $49 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $615 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $41 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $68 million

Currency: 1 Guinea-Bissauan peso (PG) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Guinea-Bissauan pesos (PG) per US$1 - 11,850 (December 1993), 10,082 (1993), 6,934 (1992), 3,659 (1991), 2,185 (1990), 1,810 (1989)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Guinea-Bissau on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea-Bissau Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guinea-Bissau Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.