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 80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less then 10% of agriculture, is state run. Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89.

GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate - 0.4% (FY89 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (1989)

Unemployment rate: NA

Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $842 million (FY88)

Exports: $429 million (f.o.b., FY88); commodities--coffee 60%, hides; partners--US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia

Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88); commodities--food, fuels, capital goods; partners--USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France

External debt: $2.6 billion (1988)

Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP

Electricity: 330,000 kW capacity; 700 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices keep farm output low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence level; principal crops and livestock--cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0 billion

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 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ethiopia Economy 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ethiopia Economy 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.