| Economy - Overview: |
|
Despite sustained domestic and
international efforts to improve economic and demographic
prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and
ill-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is
generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice
as the single most important product. Major impediments to
growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient
state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly
growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture,
delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas),
insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of
economic reforms. Economic reform is stalled in many instances
by political infighting and corruption at all levels of
government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from
the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested
interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister
Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through
needed reforms, but the party's level of political will to do
so has been lacking. |
| GDP: Purchasing power parity
- $230 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - Real Growth Rate: 5.6% (2001
est.)
|
GDP - Per capita: Purchasing power
parity - $1,750 (2001 est.)
|
GDP - Composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 18%
services: 52% (2000 est.)
|
Population below poverty line: 36%
|
Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 29%
|
Distribution of family income - Gini
index: 34 (1995-96 )
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.8% (2000 est.)
|
Labor Force: 64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances
estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (1998)
|
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11% (FY95/96)
|
Unemployment Rate: 35% (2001 est.)
|
Industries:
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper
newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering,
sugar.
|
Industrial production growth rate:
6.2% (2001 est.)
|
Electricity - Production:
fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 8%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
|
Electricity - Consumption: 12.548
billion kWh (2000)
|
Agriculture - Products: Rice, Jute,
Tea, Wheat, Sugarcane, Potatoes, Tobacco, Pulses,
Oilseeds, Spices, Fruit; Beef, Milk, Poultry.
|
Exports: Garments, Jute and Jute
goods, Leather, Frozen fish and Seafood
|
Exports - Partners: US 31.8%, Germany
10.9%, UK 7.9%, France 5.2%, Netherlands 5.2%, Italy 4.42%
(2000)
|
Imports: $8.7 billion (2001)
|
Imports - Commodities: Machinery and
equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton,
food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement.
|
Imports - Partners: India 10.5%, EU
9.5%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 8.5%, China 7.4% (2000)
|
Debt - External: $17 billion
(2000)
|
Economic Aid - Recipient: $1.575
billion
|
|
|
Fiscal Year: 1 July - 30 June
|
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