Population Population figures are mid-year estimates derived from national census data. Projections are based on information regarding mortality rates, fertility trends, and net external migration.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) GDP is a measure of an economy's total production of final goods and services for domestic consumption and investment, and for export. The value of intermediate (non-final) goods and services is not included as that would represent double-counting. Alternatively, GDP can be thought of as the sum of value added in production at each successive stage of the production-marketing chain.

Gross Domestic Investment (GDI) GDI consists primarily of outlays on additions to the fixed assets (capital) of an economy, as well as net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets cover land improvements, plant, machinery, and equipment purchases, and infrastructure development and maintenance. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales. By adding to capital stock, investment increases an economy's capacity to grow over time. Investment is financed by savings, either national or foreign.

Gross National Savings are calculated as the difference between GNP and total consumption.

Foreign Savings are equivalent to the deficit in the current account of the balance of payments.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) The CPI is a price index based on surveys of the cost of a typical "market basket" of goods and services purchased. Generally, the CPI is geared toward the middle- to lower-middle-income consumer. The CPI focuses on a narrower category of goods than does the GDP deflator. While the GDP deflator is the price index of all the goods and services produced in an economy, both consumption goods and investment goods, the CPI represents the prices of only consumption goods. One problem with any fixed-bundle index as a measure of cost of living is that it does not account for substitutions that consumers might make in response to price changes. As a result, the CPI somewhat overstates changes in the cost of living.

The cost of a typical market basket of goods and services is determined by household income-and-expenditure surveys conducted approximately every 10-20 years. In some countries, however, the latest income-and-expenditure survey is more than 20 years old, thus making the market basket out-of-date and distorting consumer-price trends to an undetermined degree. Consumer price indices are based on yearly-average prices.

Balance of Payments The balance of payments is a set of accounts recording all flows of value between a nation's residents and the residents of the rest of the world during a period of time. More specifically, it is a double-entry accounting system that lists all flows of goods and services into and out of a country; all transfers that are the counterpart of real resources or financial claims provided to or by the rest of the world, such as donations and grants; and all changes in residents' claims on, and liabilities to, nonresidents that arise from economic transactions. The balance of payments is divided into two groups of accounts. The current account (balance) refers to the sum of net exports of goods and services, income, and current transfers. The capital and financial account (balance) refers to the sum of net capital transfers, the acquisition or disposal of nonproduced, nonfinancial assets, and financial assets and liabilities. All transactions are recorded twice--once as a credit and once as a debit. In principle the net balance should be zero, but in practice the accounts often do not balance. In these cases a balancing item, usually net errors and omissions, is included in the capital and financial account.

For some countries, particularly those for which data were obtained from the Inter-American Development Bank's Economic and Social Database (ESDB), data are presented according to the methodology adopted in the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual, 5th edition (1993). In other cases, the methodology is that of the Balance of Payments Manual, 4th edition (1977), modified to place official transfers in the capital account (as the IMF often did beginning in the 1980s). The fifth edition redefined as capital transfers some transactions previously included in the current account, including debt forgiveness, migrants' capital transfers, and foreign aid to acquire capital goods. As such, under the fifth edition the current account balance reflects more accurately net current transfer receipts in addition to transactions in goods, services and income.

External Public Debt refers to debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency,

goods, or services. Total external public debt is the is the sum of public and publicly guaranteed medium- and long-term debt. Public debtors include the central government, the rest of general government, and autonomous state agencies and enterprises. The debt outstanding/GDP ratio is a frequently-used measure of a country's debt burden, although it does not take into account the degree of concessionality of the debt. The ratio of debt service to exports of goods and nonfactor services (the debt-service ratio), another debt-burden indicator, does take concessionality into account by relating debt-service payments to a country's capacity to generate its own foreign exchange for making these payments. Debt figures reported by the World Bank, IMF, IDB, and countries' own official data sources often disagree on the size of the public debt and the debt-burden percentages.

Exports Exports include exports of goods and services. Service exports refer to economic output of intangible commodities that may be produced, transferred, and consumed at the same time. Main service categories include transport, travel, information, insurance and financial. Exports are generally reported on a free-on-board basis (f.o.b.).

Imports Imports include imports of goods and services. Service exports refer to economic output of intangible commodities that may be produced, transferred, and consumed at the same time. Main service categories include transport, travel, information, insurance and financial. Imports are usually reported on a cost, insurance and freight basis (c.i.f.).

Consolidated Nonfinancial Public Sector. These fiscal accounts include the operations of the central government, the rest of general government, autonomous state agencies, and public enterprises. Transfers between different segments of the public sector (e.g. from the central government to municipalities) are netted out to avoid double-counting.

Note a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) the boliviano, equal to one million Bolivian pesos, was introduced on January 1, 1987. b) includes net foreign reserves of commercial banks and capital transfers.

Sources US Embassy Staff, Brazil, US Department of State, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Note a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Note a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Note a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) includes errors and omissions. b) change in net international reserves.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) includes arrears, rescheduling, errors, and omissions.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) includes short-term; debt service also includes use of IMF credit. b] includes debt rescheduling and changes in arrears.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) includes balance-of-payments support. b) includes arrears on principal and interest, and the debt of CORFINA

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) the savings and investment rates are exaggerated as GDP is reported at factor cost rather than at market prices. b) private and official transfers are not disaggregated for 1987-91, and all transfers for these years are recorded as private. The large entries for "Official Transfers" and "Public Sector" in 1996 reflect a major stock of debt reduction. c) includes short-term debt and IMF credit. d) based on rescheduled debt service.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) years refer to Haitian fiscal years, which begin October 1. For example, 1994 refers to the 1993/4 Haitian fiscal year. b) some inconsistencies appear in the GDP growth rate for 1987-90. c) prior to 1992, the index covers Port-au-Prince only. Beginning in 1992 the index applies to the entire country. d) excludes grants, which are shown in the capital account as official transfers. e) import levels for the 1987-89 period may be overstated. f) includes factor income beginning in fiscal year 1995. g) includes direct investment, net; private short-term, medium-term and long-term investment, net; and other, net. h) debt outstanding for 1994-97 applies to is based on the fiscal year ending on September 30. i) includes current surplus or deficit of public enterprises.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) This line item refers strictly to "fixed capital formation," not "gross domestic investment." The change-in-inventories component of investment has been eliminated because the data are unreliable. b) the large increase in private transfers beginning in 1993 is due to better monitoring of these flows. c) medium and long-term public debt.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Notes a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Notes a) GDP in current prices is not shown for 1988-89 due to hyperinflation in those years. Beginning in 1990, the figures reflect a change in the currency unit. Also because of hyperinflation, price indices are not shown after 1987.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) the government of Panama's methodology for measuring savings and

investment may overstate these figures for some years.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Notes a) includes entrepot trade. b) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source USAID staff and contractors, on the basis of the most recent government statistics available.

Notes a) The inti, worth 1000 soles, was introduced on February 1, 1985. It was replaced in 1992 by the nuevo sol, worth one million intis. Nominal GDP data are in billions of intis for 1982-1988, and in millions of nuevo soles thereafter. b) GDP data are from INEI (the National Institute of Statistics), except for the 1997 nominal data, which are from the Banco Central de Reserva (BCR). c) includes private and public transfers. d) includes short, medium and long-term capital, as well as errors and omissions.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Notes a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.

Source Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington, DC, Economic and Social Data Base (ESDB), Internet version, 1998.

Notes a) GDP converted to dollars at year-average exchange rates from IMF, International Financial Statistics.