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Economy of Netherlands Antilles

Economy - overview:Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles imports for its refineries come from Venezuela. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$2.8 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):NA
GDP - real growth rate:1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$16,000 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (2000 est.)
Labor force:83,600 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 1%
industry: 20%
services: 79% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:17% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):2.1% (2003 est.)
Budget:revenues: $757.9 million
expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)
Agriculture - products:aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Industries:tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:1.005 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:934.7 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:70,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports:$2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:petroleum products
Exports - partners:US 27.4%, Panama 13.8%, Mexico 8.5%, Haiti 5.4%, Singapore 4.9%, Venezuela 4.7%, Bahamas, The 4.3% (2006)
Imports:$4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners:Venezuela 47.2%, US 20.1%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 4.6% (2006)
Debt - external:$2.68 billion (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:$21.5 million
note: IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004)
Currency (code):Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Currency code:ANG
Exchange rates:Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002)
Fiscal year:calendar year

Netherlands Antilles Quickstats

  • Population: 223,652 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 960 sq km
  • Density: 229 /km² (51st)
  • GDP (total): $ 2.45 billion (180th)
  • GDP (per capita): $ 11,400 (2003 est.) (79th)
  • Literacy: 96.7%

Languages of Netherlands Antilles

Useful to know

  • Currency: Netherlands Antillean gulden (ANG)
  • Dial code: +599

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Netherlands Antilles Internet

  • Usage: 2,000
  • Penetration: 1.1 %
  • Top Domain: .nt

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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