Economy of Western Sahara

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Economy of Western Sahara Occupied territory and Free Zone
Currency	Moroccan Dirham (MAD) de facto
Fiscal year	calendar year
Trade organisations	AEC (the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has ratified this treaty, but is not active)
Statistics [1]
GDP ranking	N/a
GDP	N/a
GDP growth	N/a
GDP per capita	N/a
GDP by sector	services (40.0%)
Inflation	N/a
Pop below poverty line	N/a
Labour force	12,000 (2006)
Labour force by occupation	agriculture (50%), services (50%)
Unemployment	N/a
Main industries	Phosphates, fishing
Trading Partners
Exports	N/a
Export - Commodities	phosphates 62%
Main export partners	N/a
Imports	N/a
Import - Commodities	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Main import partners	N/a
Public finances
Public debt	N/a
Revenues	N/a
Expenses	N/a
Economic aid	N/a
Refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria
Note	The camps rely almost entirely on international aid

The majority of the territory of Western Sahara is currently under military occupation by the Kingdom of Morocco, which gives tax breaks and other economic incentives to the Moroccan settler population. The rest of the territory is administered by the government in exile the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); in this region, the native Sahrawi population depends on pastoral nomadism.

In Moroccan-administered territory, fishing and phosphate mining are the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has caused the SADR to sell oil contracts of its own[2]. Fishing and oil exploration contracts off the coast of the Sahara are constant sources of political tension.

Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. Sahrawis peddle handicrafts in city markets in El Aaiún, Smara, and Dakhla. Key agricultural products include fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads.)

[edit] Energy consumption

• Electricity - production: 85 GWh (2003)
• Electricity - production by source:
  • fossil fuel: 100%
  • hydro: 0%
  • nuclear: 0%
  • other: 0%
• Electricity - consumption: 83.7 GWh (2003)
• Electricity - exports: 0 kWh
• Electricity - imports: 0 kWh
• Oil - production: 0 barrel/day
• Oil - consumption: 1,750 barrel/day (278 m³/d) (2003)