Overview: Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 85% of total employment; coffee generates over 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. The economy is centrally planned, and over 90% of large-scale industry is state run. An ambitious three-year plan with a goal of food self-sufficiency was announced in 1986.

GDP: $5.7 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate 3.4% (FY87 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 2.4% (1987)

Unemployment rate: 34% (FY87)

Budget: revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY87)

Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., FY87 est.); @m5commodities--coffee 60%; @m5partners--US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy

Imports: $900 million (c.i.f., FY87 est.), @m5commodities--food; @m5partners--USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France (1985)

External debt: $2.6 billion (1988)

Industrial production: growth rate 12.8% (1986 est.)

Electricity: 330,000 kW capacity; 765 million kWh produced, 15 kWh per capita (1988)

Industries: cement, textiles, food processing, oil refinery

Agriculture: coffee, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, meat, hides and skins

Aid: NA

Currency: birr (plural--birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1--2.0700 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: 8 July-7 July

NOTE: The information regarding Ethiopia on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ethiopia Economy 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ethiopia Economy 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.