Economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Currency	East Caribbean dollar (2.7 per US$ fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year	calendar year
Trade organisations	CARICOM
Statistics
GDP	$1.301 billion (2012 est.)
GDP rank	200th (2012 ext.) PPP
GDP growth	1.2% (2012 est.)
GDP per capita	$11,900 (2012 est.)
GDP by sector	agriculture: 8.4%; industry: 19.9%; services: 73.6% (2012 est.)
Inflation (CPI)	6.1% (2012 est.)
Population below poverty line	n/av
Labour force	57,520 (2007 est.)
Labour force by occupation	agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.)
Unemployment	15% (2001 est.)
Main industries	tourism, food processing, cement, furniture, clothing starch
Ease-of-doing-business rank	75th
External
Exports	$68.3 million (2012 est.)
Export goods	bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets
Main export partners	Trinidad and Tobago 15.2% Saint Lucia 13.5% Turkey 12.1% Barbados 11.2% Dominica 8.9% Grenada 8.5% Antigua and Barbuda 7.6% (2012 est.)
Imports	$366.5 million (2012 est.)
Import goods	foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels
Main import partners	Singapore 27.0% Trinidad and Tobago 24.1% United States 18.3% China 5.4% Barbados 5.3% (2012 est.)
Public finances
Public debt	$252.2 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Revenues	$185.2 million (2012 est.)
Expenses	$185.2 million est.
Economic aid	$47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998)
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.

The St. Vincent economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. Bananas alone account for upwards of 60% of the work force and 50% of merchandise exports. Such reliance on a single crop makes the economy vulnerable to external factors. St. Vincent's banana growers benefited from preferential access to the European market. In view of the European Union's announced phase-out of this preferred access, economic diversification is a priority.

Tourism has grown to become a very important part of the economy. In 1993, tourism supplanted banana exports as the chief source of foreign exchange. The Grenadines have become a favourite of the up-market yachting crowd. The trend toward increasing tourism revenues will likely continue. In 1996, new cruise ship and ferry berths came on-line, sharply increasing the number of passenger arrivals. In 1998, total visitor arrivals stood at 202,109 with United States visitors constituting 2.7%, as most of the nation's tourists are from other countries in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative. The country belongs to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which has signed a framework agreement with the United States to promote trade and investment in the region.

See also

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines