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- <text>
- <title>
- Botswana: Economy
- </title>
- <article><hdr>The World Factbook 1993: Botswana
- Economy</hdr><body>
- <p>Overview: The economy has historically been based on cattle
- raising and crops. Agriculture today provides a livelihood for
- more than 80% of the population, but produces only about 50% of
- food needs. The driving force behind the rapid economic growth
- of the 1970s and 1980s has been the mining industry. This
- sector, mostly on the strength of diamonds, has gone from
- generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to 50% in 1991. No other sector
- has experienced such growth, especially not agriculture, which
- is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The unemployment
- rate remains a problem at 25%. Although diamond production was
- down slightly in 1992, substantial gains in coal output and
- manufacturing helped boost the economy
- </p>
- <p>National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.6
- billion (FY92 est.)
- </p>
- <p>National product real growth rate: 5.8% (FY92 est.)
- </p>
- <p>National product per capita: $2,450 (FY92 est.)
- </p>
- <p>Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.5% (December 1992)
- </p>
- <p>Unemployment rate: 25% (1989)
- </p>
- <p>Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.99 billion,
- including capital expenditures of $652 million (FY94)
- </p>
- <list>
- <l>Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b. 1991)</l>
- <l> commodities: diamonds 78%, copper and nickel 8%, meat
- 4%</l>
- <l> partners: Switzerland, UK, SACU (Southern African Customs
- Union)</l>
- <l>Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991)</l>
- <l> commodities: foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment,
- textiles, petroleum products</l>
- <l> partners: Switzerland, SACU (Southern African Customs
- Union), UK, US</l>
- </list>
- <p>External debt: $344 million (December 1991)
- </p>
- <p>Industrial production: growth rate 6.9% (1991); accounts for
- about 53% of GDP, including mining
- </p>
- <p>Electricity: 220,000 kW capacity; 1,123 million kWh produced,
- 846 kWh per capita (1991)
- </p>
- <p>Industries: mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt,
- soda ash, potash; livestock processing
- </p>
- <p>Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; subsistence farming
- predominates; cattle raising supports 50% of the population;
- must import up to of 80% of food needs
- </p>
- <p>Economic aid: US aid, $13 million (1992); US commitments,
- including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $257 million; Western (non-US)
- countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,875
- million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $43 million; Communist
- countries (1970-89), $29 million; in 1992: Norway (largest
- donor) $16 million, Sweden $15.5 million, Germany $3.6 million,
- EC/Lome-IV $3-6 million in grants, $28.7 million in long-term
- projects
- </p>
- <p>Currency: 1 pula (P)=100 thebe
- </p>
- <p>Exchange rates: pula (P) per US$1 - 2.31 (February 1993),
- 2.1327 (1992), 2.0173 (1991), 1.8601 (1990), 2.0125 (1989),
- 1.8159 (1988)
- </p>
- <p>Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- </p></body></article></text>
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