Economy
Economyoverview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP: purchasing power parity$NA
GDPreal growth rate: NA%
GDPper capita: purchasing power parity$NA
GDPcomposition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%-45% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption
by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 12,000
Labor forceby occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricityproduction: 85 million kWh (1996)
Electricityproduction by
source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricityconsumption: 85 million kWh (1996)
Electricityexports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricityimports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agricultureproducts: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
Exports: $NA
Exportscommodities: phosphates 62%
Exportspartners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $NA
Importscommodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Importspartners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Debtexternal: $NA
Economic aidrecipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$19.320 (January 1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996), 8.540 (1995), 9.203 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year