Economy - overview:
Western Sahara has a small market-based economy whose main indutries are fishing, phosphate mining, and pastoral nomadism. The territory's arid desert climate makes sedentary agriculture difficult, and Wstern Sahara imports much of its food. The Moroccan Government administers Western Sahara's economy and is a source of employment, infrstructure development, and social spending in the territory. Western Sahara's unresolved legal status makes the exploitation of its natural resources a contentious issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Morocco and the EU in July 2006 signed a four-year agreement allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Oil has never been found in Western Sahara in commercially significant quantities, but Morocco and the Polisario have quarreled over who has the right to authorize and benefit from oil exploration in the territory. Western Sahara's main long-term economic challenge is the development of a more diverse set of industries capable of providing greater employment and income to the territory.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - composition by sector: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Budget: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Electricity - production: Electricity - consumption: Electricity - exports: Electricity - imports: Oil - production: Oil - consumption: Oil - exports: Oil - imports: Oil - proved reserves: Natural gas - production: Natural gas - consumption: Natural gas - exports: Natural gas - imports: Natural gas - proved reserves: Exports: Exports - commodities: Imports: Imports - commodities: Debt - external: Exchange rates:
$900 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
[see also: GDP (purchasing power parity) country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$2,500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
agriculture: NA%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
NA%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - industry country ranks ]
services:
40% (2007 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - services country ranks ]
144,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 50%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry and services:
50% (2005 est.)
NA%
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: NA%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%:
NA%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]
revenues: $NA
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures:
$NA
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
phosphate mining, handicrafts
NA%
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
90 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
[see also: Electricity - production country ranks ]
83.7 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
[see also: Electricity - consumption country ranks ]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - exports country ranks ]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - imports country ranks ]
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
[see also: Oil - production country ranks ]
2,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
[see also: Oil - consumption country ranks ]
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
[see also: Oil - exports country ranks ]
1,702 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
[see also: Oil - imports country ranks ]
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Oil - proved reserves country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Natural gas - production country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
[see also: Natural gas - consumption country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Natural gas - exports country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Natural gas - imports country ranks ]
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
[see also: Natural gas - proved reserves country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
phosphates 62%
$NA
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
$NA
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3619 (2009), 7.526 (2008), 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006)