Selected Economic Indicators (1)

 

                                                            Prel.  

                  1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04

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(Annual percentage changes)

 

GDP, prices, and employment:

Real GDP             -0.6     1.1     0.8     1.0     1.9     2.0

Nominal GDP           7.5     8.1    11.6     9.5    10.0    16.6

Consumer price index

(end of period)       6.0     8.4     6.4     7.6     6.2    16.8

Consumer price index

(average)             8.1     6.3     7.7     8.0     6.5    12.9

Exchange rate

(end of period,

in J$/US$)            4.9    10.6     8.3     4.0    18.2     8.1

End-of-period REER

(percent change,

depreciation +)      -1.6     4.0     0.2    -3.9    14.3    -4.2

Unemployment rate

(in percent)         15.5    15.7    15.5    14.8    15.4    12.8

 

(In percent of GDP, unless otherwise indicated)

 

Government operations:

Budgetary revenue    25.8    29.1    29.1    27.0    28.1    29.9

Budgetary

expenditure          37.7    37.1    33.6    32.6    35.7    36.9

Of which:

interest payments    17.3    17.5    16.0    13.4    14.9    18.1

Budget balance      -11.9    -8.1    -4.5    -5.6    -7.6    -7.0

Of which:

primary fiscal

balance               5.4     9.4    11.5     7.8     7.3    11.1

Off-budget

expenditure           ...     0.5     0.3     0.5     3.2     1.9

Overall fiscal

balance             -11.9    -8.6    -4.8    -6.1   -10.8    -8.9

Public debt         116.5   132.5   132.0   132.1   146.4   144.8

 

             

External sector:

Current account

Balance              -2.0    -3.3    -4.8    -9.6   -14.9   -10.6

Of which:

exports of goods

,f.o.b.              20.0    19.9    20.5    17.8    15.6    17.3

Of which:

imports of goods

,f.o.b.              34.3    35.3    38.2    37.6    39.8    40.3

 

Net international reserves

(in millions of US$)  582     704   1,286    1,942   1,340  1,569

 

(Changes in percent of beginning of period broad money)

 

Money and credit:

Net foreign assets    2.6     12.5   23.0      24.3   -8.1    9.0

Net domestic assets   8.2      6.8    3.4     -14.3   15.6   11.3

Of which:

credit to the

central government   -0.2     -9.5   26.6      71.2    8.2    9.0

Broad money          10.8     19.3    9.2      10.0    7.5   20.2

     

Interest rate (180 day BoJ

CD rate, end of period,         

in percent per annum) 22.0    18.6   16.9      13.8    33.5  16.0

Velocity (ratio of GDP

to broad money)        2.7     2.4    2.4       2.6     2.7   2.6

 

Memorandum items:

Nominal GDP

(in billions of

Jamaica dollars)     287.4   310.8  346.8     379.8    417.7 486.9

Exchange rate

(end of period,

J$/US$)               38.1    42.2   45.7      47.6     56.2  60.8

 

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Sources: Jamaican authorities; and IMF staff estimates.

(1) Fiscal years run from April 1 to March 31.

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