Economy - overview:
Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004 and 2.5% in 2005. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.479 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.431 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 20%
services: 25% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
NA

Unemployment rate:
8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
61.3 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA

Agriculture - products:
cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Industries:
gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate:
3% (2002)

Electricity - production:
106 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
98.58 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
2,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Exports:
$131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Exports - partners:
Belgium 39.5%, Italy 8.7%, Spain 8.2%, US 6.2%, France 6.1%, Indonesia 5.9%, China 4.9% (2004)

Imports:
$203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:
France 17.7%, US 16.4%, Cameroon 9.4%, Belgium 5.1% (2004)

Debt - external:
$1.06 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $59.8 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2002 est.)

Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)