Economy Sierra Leone
Economy - overview: Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a 10-year civil war. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. There are plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43% industry: 27% services: 30% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 62.9 (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (2000 est.)