Economy - overview: Tonga has a small, open economy with a narrow export base in agricultural goods, which contributes 30% to GDP. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The industrial sector accounts for only 10% of GDP. Tourism is the primary source of hard currency earnings. The country remains dependent on sizable external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonable basic infrastructure and well-developed social services.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $225 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 10%
services: 60% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 34,000 (FY96/97)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 13.3% (FY96/97)

Budget:
revenues: $49 million
expenditures: $120 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (FY96/97 est.)

Industries: tourism, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 8.6% (FY98/99)

Electricity - production: 35 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 32.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish

Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports - commodities: squash, fish, vanilla beans

Exports - partners: Japan 53%, US 18%, NZ 6%, Australia 6% (1997 est.)

Imports: $69 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners: NZ 30%, Australia 19%, US 11%, UK 11%, Japan 3% (1997 est.)

Debt - external: $62 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $38.8 million (1995)

Currency: pa'anga (TOP)

Currency code: TOP

Exchange rates: pa'anga per US dollar - 1.9885 (January 2001), 1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999), 1.4920 (1998), 1.2635 (1997), 1.2323 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

NOTE: The information regarding Tonga on this page is re-published from the 2001 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Tonga Economy 2001 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Tonga Economy 2001 should be addressed to the CIA.