Economy - overview:
The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Industries:
construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
Exports:
$704,000 f.o.b. (1995)
Exports - commodities:
fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners:
South Africa, UK (2000)
Imports:
$14.434 million c.i.f. (1995)
Imports - commodities:
food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners:
UK, South Africa (2000)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Currency:
Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Currency code:
SHP
Exchange rates:
Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998),
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
NOTE: The information regarding Saint Helena on this page is re-published from the 2003 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Geography 2003 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saint Helena Economy 2003 should be addressed to the CIA.
