Colombia is poised for moderate growth in the next
several years, marking an end to the severe 1999 recession when GDP
fell by about 5%. President PASTRANA's well-respected economic team is
taking steps to keep the recovery on track, such as lowering interest
rates and shoring up the financial system. In its loan agreement with
the IMF, the administration has pledged to take additional steps to
restore growth, reduce inflation, and improve the public sector's
fiscal health. Many challenges to sustainable growth remain, however.
Unemployment reached a record 20% in 1999 and may remain high,
contributing to the extreme inequality in income distribution.
Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future:
new exploration is needed to offset a pending decline in oil
production, and the coffee harvest has dropped off because of aging
plantations and natural disasters. The lack of public security is a
key concern for investors, making progress in the government's peace
negotiations with insurgent groups an important driver of economic
performance. Colombia is looking for international financial
assistance to boost economic recovery and peace prospects.

purchasing power parity - $245.1 billion (1999 est.)

-5% (1999 est.)

purchasing power parity - $6,200 (1999 est.)

agriculture: 19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (1999 est.)

17.7% (1992 est.)

lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 46.9% (1995)

9.2% (1999)

16.8 million (1997 est.)

services 46%, agriculture 30%, industry
24% (1990)

20% (1999 est.)

revenues: $22 billion
expenditures: $24 billion including capital expenditures of $NA (2000
est.)

textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,
beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

-7% (1999 est.)

45.02 billion kWh (1998)

fossil fuel: 30.11%
hydro: 69.25%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.64% (1998)

41.963 billion kWh (1998)

0 kWh (1998)

94 million kWh (1998)

coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco,
corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products;
shrimp

$11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

petroleum, coffee, coal, gold, bananas, cut
flowers

US 39%, EU 24%, Andean Community 15%, Japan 2%
(1998)

$10 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

industrial equipment, transportation equipment,
consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity

US 35%, EU 20%, Andean Community 15%, Japan 7%
(1998)

$35 billion (1998 est.)

$40.7 million (1995)

1 Colombian peso (Col$) = 100 centavos

Colombian pesos (Col$) per US$1 - 1,925.63 (January
2000), 1,756.23 (1999), 1,426.04 (1998), 1,140.96 (1997), 1,036.69
(1996), 912.83 (1995)

calendar year