Economy - overview Niger is a poor, landlocked Sub-Saharan nation, whose recent GDP growthhas barely matched the rapid growth of population. The economy is centeredon subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and reexport trade, and increasinglyless on uranium, its major export throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Terms oftrade with Nigeria, Niger's largest regional trade partner, have improveddramatically since the 50% devaluation of the African franc in January 1994;this devaluation boosted exports of livestock, peas, onions, and the productsof Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateralaid for operating expenses and public investment and is strongly induced toadhere to structural adjustment programs designed by the IMF and the WorldBank. The US terminated bilateral assistance to Niger after the coup of 1996.Other donors have reduced their aid.

GDP purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 4% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $640 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 41%
industry: 18%
services: 41% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index 10.6% (1995 est.)

Labor force
total: 2.5 million wage earners (1982)
by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Unemployment rate NA%

Budget
revenues: $200 million
expenditures : $387 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Industries cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses,and a few other small light industries; uranium mining

Industrial production growth rate 0.5% (1994 est.)

Electricity - capacity 105,000 kW (1991)

Electricity - production 230 million kWh (1991)
note: imports about 200 million kW of electricity from Nigeria

Electricity - consumption per capita 53 kWh (1991 est.)

Agriculture - products cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice;cattle, sheep, goats

Exports
total value: $247 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: uranium ore 67%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas, onions
partners: France 77%, Nigeria 8%, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Canada

Imports
total value : $307 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: consumer goods, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum,cereals
partners: France 23%, Cote d'Ivoire, China, Belgium-Luxembourg

Debt - external $1.6 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid
recipient: ODA; bilateral donors: France, Japan, Germany, US

Currency 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15(1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992)
note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 perFrench franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Niger on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Niger Economy 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Niger Economy 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.