The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Central

       America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, ratified by El

       Salvador in 2004, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these

       objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances

       from Salvadorans living abroad - 16% of GDP in 2004 - and external

       aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador

       has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on

       maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy.

      GDP (purchasing power parity):

       $32.35 billion (2004 est.)

      GDP - real growth rate:

       1.8% (2004 est.)

      GDP - per capita:

       purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)

      GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.2% industry: 31.1% services: 59.7% (2004 est.)

      Labor force:

       2.75 million (2004 est.)

      Labor force - by occupation:

       agriculture 17.1%, industry 17.1%, services 65.8% (2003 est.)

      Unemployment rate:

       6.3% - but the economy has much underemployment (2004 est.)

      Population below poverty line:

       36.1% (2003 est.)

      Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)

      Distribution of family income - Gini index:

       52.5 (2001)

      Inflation rate (consumer prices):

       5.4% (2004 est.)

      Investment (gross fixed):

       16.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

      Budget:

       revenues: $2.491 billion

       expenditures: $2.782 billion, including capital expenditures of NA

       (2004 est.)

      Public debt:

       41.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

      Agriculture - products:

       coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp;

       beef, dairy products

      Industries:

       food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,

       textiles, furniture, light metals

      Industrial production growth rate:

       0.7% (2004 est.)

      Electricity - production:

       4.158 billion kWh (2004)

      Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44% hydro: 30.9% nuclear: 0% other: 25.1% (2001)

      Electricity - consumption:

       4.45 billion kWh (2004)

      Electricity - exports:

       91 million kWh (2004)

      Electricity - imports:

       473 million kWh (2004)

      Oil - production:

       0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

      Oil - consumption:

       39,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

      Oil - exports:

       NA

      Oil - imports:

       NA

      Current account balance:

       $-880.5 million (2004 est.)

      Exports:

       $3.249 billion (2004 est.)

      Exports - commodities:

       offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,

       chemicals, electricity

      Exports - partners:

       US 65.6%, Guatemala 11.8%, Honduras 6.3% (2004)

      Imports:

       $5.968 billion (2004 est.)

      Imports - commodities:

       raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs,

       petroleum, electricity

      Imports - partners:

       US 46.3%, Guatemala 8.1%, Mexico 6% (2004)

      Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

       $1.888 billion (2004 est.)

      Debt - external:

       $4.792 billion (September 2004 est.)

      Economic aid - recipient:

       $125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003)

      Currency (code):

       US dollar (USD)

      Currency code:

       USD

      Exchange rates:

       the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001

      Fiscal year:

       calendar year

      Communications El Salvador

      Telephones - main lines in use:

       752,600 (2003)

      Telephones - mobile cellular:

       1,149,800 (2003)

      Telephone system:

       general assessment: NA

       domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system

       international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1

       Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave

       System

      Radio broadcast stations:

       AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)

      Radios:

       2.75 million (1997)

      Television broadcast stations:

       5 (1997)

      Televisions:

       600,000 (1990)

      Internet country code:

       .sv

      Internet hosts:

       4,084 (2003)

      Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

       4 (2000)

      Internet users:

       550,000 (2003)

      Transportation El Salvador

      Railways:

       total: 283 km

       narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge

       note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by

       disuse and lack of maintenance (2004)

      Highways:

       total: 10,029 km

       paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)

       unpaved: 8,043 km (1999 est.)

      Waterways:

       Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)

      Ports and harbors:

       Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco

      Airports:

       73 (2004 est.)

      Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437