Namibia Economy - 2005

Economy - overview:
The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the great inequality of income distribution; nearly one-third of Namibians had annual incomes of less than $1,400 in constant 1994 dollars, according to a 1993 study. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Mining of zinc, copper, and silver and increased fish production led growth in 2003-04.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $14.76 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.3%
industry: 30.8%
services: 57.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
840,000 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
35% (1998)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
70 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.788 billion
expenditures: $1.956 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Public debt:
38.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish

Industries:
meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
1.167 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption:
1.92 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
65 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
900 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
31.15 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$234.3 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$1.356 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins

Exports - partners:
EU 79%, US 4% (2001)

Imports:
$1.473 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:
US 50%, EU 31% (2001)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$360 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.136 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $160 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):
Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Exchange rates:
Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000)