Antigua and Barbuda, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most
  important determinant of economic performance. During the period
  1986-91, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 6%.
  Tourism makes a direct contribution to GDP of about 13% and also
  affects growth in other sectors - particularly in construction,
  communications, and public utilities. In 1992, reduced government
  capital spending and private sector investment, dampened by recession
  in the major world economies, slowed economic growth.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $368.5 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA
National product per capita:
  $5,800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  7% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  5% (1988 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $105 million
expenditures:
  $161 million, including capital expenditures of $56 million (1992)
Exports:
  $54.7 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%,
  machinery and transport equipment 17%
partners:
  OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Imports:
  $260.9 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment,
  manufactures, chemicals, oil
partners:
  US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
External debt:
  $250 million (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  52,100 kW
production:
  95 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,482 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol,
  household appliances)
Agriculture:
  accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits,
  vegetables, and livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers,
  mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments (1985-88), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA
  and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $50 million
Currency:
  1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

Antigua and Barbuda, Communications

Railroads:
  64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost
  exclusively for handling sugarcane
Highways:
total:
  240 km
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Ports:
  Saint John's
Merchant marine:
  227 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 849,699 GRT/1,218,492 DWT, bulk
  4, cargo 156, chemical tanker 11, container 37, liquified gas 2, oil
  tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11
note:
  a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
  3
usable:
  3
with permanent-surface runways:
  2
with runways 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric
  scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 2
  FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station

Antigua and Barbuda, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda
  Police Force (including the Coast Guard)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY90/91)