Economy Of Western Sahara

Economy overview	Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP	purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - real growth rate	NA
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: 40% (1996 est.)
Investment gross fixed
Population below poverty line	NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Distribution of family income - Gini index
Inflation rate consumer prices	NA
Labor force	12,000
Labor force by occupation	animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Unemployment rate	NA
Budget	revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Public debt
Agriculture products	fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
Industries	phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate	NA
Electricity production	90 million kWh (2001)
Electricity production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity consumption	83.7 million kWh (2001)
Electricity exports	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity imports	0 kWh (2001)
Oil production	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil consumption	1,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil exports	NA (2001)
Oil imports	NA (2001)
Oil proved reserves
Natural gas production
Natural gas consumption
Natural gas exports
Natural gas imports
Natural gas proved reserves
Current account balance
Exports	NA
Exports commodities	phosphates 62%
Exports partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports	NA
Imports commodities	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000)
Reserves of foreign exchange gold
Debt external	NA
Economic aid recipient	NA
Currency	Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Currency code	MAD
Exchange rates	Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (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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