Overview: Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela and the US being the major suppliers.

National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 2% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $9,700 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: 16.4% (1991 est.)

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

Exports: $240 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: petroleum products 98%
partners: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%

Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners: Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%

External debt: $701 million (December 1987)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity:
capacity: 125,000 kW
production: 365 million kWh
consumption per capita: 1,980 kWh (1992)

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

Agriculture: hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food

Illicit drugs: money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe

Economic aid:
recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $513 million

Currency: 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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