Overview: Indonesia is a mixed economy with some socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise. Indonesia has extensive natural wealth, yet, with a large and rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. Real GDP growth in 1985-93 averaged about 6%, quite impressive, but not sufficient to both slash underemployment and absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force. Agriculture, including forestry and fishing, is an important sector, accounting for 21% of GDP and over 50% of the labor force. The staple crop is rice. Once the world's largest rice importer, Indonesia is now nearly self-sufficient. Plantation crops - rubber and palm oil - and textiles and plywood are being encouraged for both export and job generation. Industrial output now accounts for almost 40% of GDP and is based on a supply of diverse natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, timber, metals, and coal. Foreign investment has also boosted manufacturing output and exports in recent years. Indeed, the economy's growth is highly dependent on the continuing expansion of nonoil exports. Japan remains Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid. Rapid growth in the money supply in 1989-90 prompted Jakarta to implement a tight monetary policy in 1991, forcing the private sector to go to foreign banks for investment financing. Real interest rates remained above 10% and off-shore commercial debt grew. The growth in off-shore debt prompted Jakarta to limit foreign borrowing beginning in late 1991. Despite the continued problems in moving toward a more open financial system and the persistence of a fairly tight credit situation, GDP growth in 1992 and 1993 has matched the government target of 6%-7% annual growth.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $571 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 6.5% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $2,900 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3% official rate; underemployment 45% (1993 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $32.8 billion
expenditures: $32.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $12.9 billion (FY95)

Exports: $38.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum and gas 28%, clothing and fabrics 15%, plywood 11%, footwear 4% (1992)
partners: Japan 32%, US 13%, Singapore 9%, South Korea 6% (1992)

Imports: $28.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: machinery 37%, semi-finished goods 16%, chemicals 14%, raw materials 10%, transport equipment 7%, food stuffs 6%, petroleum products 4%, consumer goods 3% (1992)
partners: Japan 22%, US 14%, Germany 8%, South Korea 7%, Singapore 6%, Australia 5%, Taiwan 5% (1992)

External debt: $100 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 11.6% (1989 est.); accounts 35% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 11,600,000 kW
production: 38 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 200 kWh (1990)

Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, food, rubber

Agriculture: accounts for 21% of GDP; subsistence food production; small-holder and plantation production for export; main products are rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra, other tropical products, poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade, but not a major player; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $213 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million

Currency: 1 Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen (sen no longer used)
Exchange rates: Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1 - 2,116.9 (January 1994), 2,087.1 (1993), 2,029.9 (1992), 1,950.3 (1991), 1,842.8 (1990), 1,770.1 (1989)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

NOTE: The information regarding Indonesia 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 Indonesia Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Indonesia Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.