Economy Of Guatemala

Economy overview Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, but widespread political violence and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor confidence. The distribution of income remains highly unequal, with perhaps 75% of the population below the poverty line. Ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking, and narrowing the trade deficit.
 
GDP purchasing power parity - $56.5 billion (2004 est.)
 
GDP - real growth rate 2.1% (2004 est.)
 
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,100 (2004 est.)
 
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 22.5%
industry: 18.9%
services: 58.5% (2004 est.)
 
Investment gross fixed 15.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
 
Population below poverty line 75% (2004 est.)
 
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 46% (1998)
 
Distribution of family income - Gini index 55.8 (1998)
 
Inflation rate consumer prices 5.5% (2004 est.)
 
Labor force 3.84 million (2004 est.)
 
Labor force by occupation agriculture 50%, industry 15%, services 35% (1999 est.)
 
Unemployment rate 7.5% (2003 est.)
 
Budget
revenues: $2.741 billion
expenditures: $3.316 billion, including capital expenditures of $750 million (2004 est.)
 
Public debt 30.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
 
Agriculture products sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
 
Industries sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
 
Industrial production growth rate 4.1% (1999)
 
Electricity production 6.237 billion kWh (2001)
 
Electricity production by source
fossil fuel: 51.9%
hydro: 35.2%
other: 12.9% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
 
Electricity consumption 5.559 billion kWh (2001)
 
Electricity exports 336 million kWh (2001)
 
Electricity imports 95 million kWh (2001)
 
Oil production 21,080 bbl/day (2004 est.)
 
Oil consumption 61,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 
Oil exports NA (2001)
 
Oil imports NA (2001)
 
Oil proved reserves 263 million bbl (1 January 2002)
 
Natural gas production  
Natural gas consumption  
Natural gas exports  
Natural gas imports  
Natural gas proved reserves 1.543 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 
Current account balance $-1.106 billion (2004 est.)
 
Exports $2.763 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
 
Exports commodities coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum, electricity
 
Exports partners US 56.7%, El Salvador 10.8%, Nicaragua 3.6% (2003)
 
Imports $5.749 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 
Imports commodities fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity
 
Imports partners US 34.1%, Mexico 8.8%, South Korea 7.8%, El Salvador 6.4%, China 4.6% (2003)
 
Reserves of foreign exchange gold $2.843 billion (2004 est.)
 
Debt external $4.957 billion (2004 est.)
 
Economic aid recipient $250 million (2000 est.)
 
Currency quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed
 
Currency code GTQ; USD
 
Exchange rates quetzales per US dollar - 7.9409 (2003), 7.8216 (2002), 7.8586 (2001), 7.7632 (2000), 7.3856 (1999)
 
Fiscal year calendar year

 

 

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This information was reproduced in part from the CIA World Fact book.

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