<text id=94CT1416><title>Trinidad and Tobago—Economy</title>
<article><source>CIA Factbook</source>
<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Trinidad and Tobago<nl>Economy</hdr><body>
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<item><hi format=bold>Overview:</hi> Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy still enjoys a high per capita income by Latin American standards, even though output and living standards are substantially below the boom years of 1973-82. The country suffers from widespread unemployment, large foreign-debt payments, and periods of low international oil prices. Seven successive years of economic contraction were followed by small gains in output in 1990-91 of 1.2% and 0.9%, in turn followed by small declines in 1992-93 of roughly 1.0%. The government has begun to make progress in its efforts to diversify exports.
<item><hi format=bold>National product:</hi> GDP—purchasing power equivalent—$10.4 billion (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>National product real growth rate:</hi> -1% (1993)
<item><hi format=bold>National product per capita:</hi> $8,000 (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>Agriculture:</hi> accounts for 3% of GDP; highly subsidized sector; major crops—cocoa, sugarcane; sugarcane acreage is being shifted into rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry sector most important source of animal protein; must import large share of food needs
<item><hi format=bold>Illicit drugs:</hi> transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
<item><hi format=bold>Economic aid:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>recipient:</hi> US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $373 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $518 million
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<item><hi format=bold>Currency:</hi> 1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$)=100 cents
<item><hi format=bold>Exchange rates:</hi> Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1—5.8111 (January 1994), 5.3511 (1993), 4.2500 (fixed rate 1989-1992); note—effective 13 April 1993, the exchange rate of the TT dollar is market-determined as opposed to the prior fixed relationship to the US dollar
<item><hi format=bold>Fiscal year:</hi> calendar year