El Salvador is a poor Central American economy
which has been suffering from a weak tax collection system, factory
closings, the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, and weak world coffee
prices. On the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to
single digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The
substantial trade deficit has been offset by remittances from the
large number of Salvadorans living abroad and from external aid.

purchasing power parity - $18.1 billion (1999 est.)

2.2% (1999 est.)

purchasing power parity - $3,100 (1999 est.)

agriculture: 12%
industry: 22%
services: 66% (1999 est.)

48% (1999 est.)

lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 38.3% (1995)

1.3% (1999 est.)

2.35 million (1999)

agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services
55% (1999 est.)

7.7% (1997 est.)

revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999)

food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals,
fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals

3.5% (1999 est.)

4.1 billion kWh (1999 est.)

fossil fuel: 49.32%
hydro: 36.46%
nuclear: 0%
other: 14.22% (1998)

4.17 billion kWh (1999)

30 million kWh (1999)

65 million kWh (1999)

coffee, sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseed,
cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp

$2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

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

US 59%, Guatemala 12%, Germany 6%, Costa Rica 4%,
Honduras (1998)

$4.15 billion (c.i.f., 1999)

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

US 51%, Guatemala 9%, Mexico 6%, Japan 3%, Costa
Rica (1999)

$3.3 billion (1999 est.)

total $252 million; $57 million from US
(1999 est.)

1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos

Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 (end of period) -
8.755 fixed rate since 1993

calendar year