political pressure from western nations. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black-market, illicit, and border trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not improved over the past decade. Short-term growth will continue to be restrained because of poor government planning and minimal foreign investment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $63.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42%
industry: 17%
services: 41% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 23% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1999)
Labor force: 19.7 million (FY98/99 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.1% (official FY97/98 est.)
Budget: revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97)
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 4.813 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 68.56%
hydro: 31.44%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 4.476 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: apparel 36%, foodstuffs 22%, wood products 21%, precious stones 5% (1999)
Exports - partners: India 13%, Singapore 11%, China 11%, US 8% (1999 est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include trade in illicit goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems - or the largely unrecorded border trade with China and Thailand
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products
Imports - partners: Singapore 28%, Thailand 12%, China 10%, Japan 10%, South Korea 9% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $6 billion (FY99/00 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $99 million (FY98/99)
Currency: kyat (MMK)
Currency code: MMK
Exchange rates: kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.5972 (January 2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend 2000)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Burma Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 250,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,492 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 4.2 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998)
Televisions: 320,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .mm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000)
Internet users: 500 (2000)
Burma Transportation
Railways: total: 3,991 km
narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996)
Waterways: 12,800 km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km
Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein,
Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy
Merchant marine: total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 411,181 GRT/632,769 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Japan 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 80 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 71
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
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