- overview:
Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than
half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have
slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight
fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is
focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water
supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages
in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type
assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts,
and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the
medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the
industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for
slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$750 million (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.9% industry: 19.2% services: 76.8% (2002)
Labor force:
30,000
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983)
Unemployment rate:
11% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.4% (2000 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes,
sugarcane; livestock
Industries:
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol,
household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production:
110.8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
103 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
3,600 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Exports:
$689 million (2002)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport
equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%
Exports - partners:
Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004)
Imports:
$692 million (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners:
China 19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland 8.5%, Trinidad and
Tobago 4.7% (2004)
Debt - external:
$231 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2.3 million (1995)
Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code:
XCD
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7
(2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000)
note: fixed rate since 1976
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Antigua and Barbuda
Telephones - main lines in use:
38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
38,200 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1–268; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric
scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
36,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Televisions:
31,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ag
Internet hosts:
1,665 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)
Internet users:
10,000 (2002)
Transportation Antigua and Barbuda
Highways:
total: 250 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Saint John's
Merchant marine:
total: 980 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626 GRT/7,683,143 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 630, chemical tanker 9, container
272, liquefied gas 9, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll
on/roll off 17, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 923 (Australia 2, Bangladesh 4, Belgium 4, Colombia
2, Denmark 8, Estonia 2, Germany 849, Iceland 5, Latvia 5, Lebanon
2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 11, Norway 3, Philippines 1, Russia 1,
Slovenia 5, Sweden