Overview: Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $400. The nation has been unable to achieve any substantial improvement in export earnings because of falling prices for many of its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important export, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets and a smaller volume of sales. In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export and continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which generates about half of GDP and provides employment for 66% of the work force.

GDP: $16.8 billion, per capita $408; real growth rate NEGL% (FY90 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.6% (FY89 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.6% in urban areas (FY89 est.)

Budget: revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $5.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY89 est.)

Exports: $228 million (f.o.b., FY89) commodities--teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems; partners--Southeast Asia, India, China, EC, Africa

Imports: $540 million (c.i.f., FY89) commodities--machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products; partners--Japan, EC, China, Southeast Asia

External debt: $5.5 billion (December 1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 2.6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

Electricity: 950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Agriculture: accounts for 51% of GDP (including fish and forestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops--paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and teak account for 55% of export revenues; fish catch of 732,000 metric tons (FY90)

Illicit drugs: world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production is on the increase as growers respond to the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $158 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $424 million

Currency: kyat (plural--kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1--6.0476 (January 1991), 6.3386 (1990), 6.7049 (1989), 6.3945 (1988), 6.6535 (1987), 7.3304 (1986), 8.4749 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

NOTE: The information regarding Burma on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Burma Economy 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Burma Economy 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.