Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote
Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism
industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged
coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international
airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the
economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls,
privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to
address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order
to diversify the island's production base the government is
attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning
to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$384 million (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
−1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
25,000 (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28%
Unemployment rate:
23% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2001 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2001)
Agriculture - products: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited
Industries:
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Industrial production growth rate:
−10% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production:
68.41 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 47.1% hydro: 52.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
63.62 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
600 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Exports:
$39 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges
Exports - partners:
UK 21.6%, Jamaica 14.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.8%, Guyana 7.5%,
Japan 5.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, US 4.3%, Saint Lucia 4% (2004)
Imports:
$98.2 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals
Imports - partners:
China 20.4%, US 16.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, UK 6.9%, South
Korea 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)
Debt - external:
$161.5 million (2001)
Economic aid - recipient:
$22.8 million (2003 est.)
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)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Dominica
Telephones - main lines in use:
23,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9,400 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: country code - 1–767; microwave radio relay and SHF
radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF
radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
46,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2004)
Televisions:
6,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.dm
Internet hosts:
681 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)
Internet users:
12,500 (2002)
Transportation Dominica
Highways: total: 780 km paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
Portsmouth, Roseau
Merchant marine:
total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,771 GRT/19,736 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 19, chemical tanker 2, container 1,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 21 (Estonia 6, Greece 3, Pakistan 1, Russia 2,
Singapore 6, Syria 2, UAE 1) (2005)
Airports:
2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Dominica
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
(includes