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ECONOMY OF NAURU
Nauru is a upper-middle-income Pacific island country; phosphate resource exhaustion made island interior uninhabitable; licenses fishing rights; houses Australia’s Regional Processing Centre; former known tax haven; largely dependent on foreign subsidies. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Sectors of the Economy Composition of GDP by Origin) agriculture: 6.1 percent (2009 estimate)
industry: 33 percent (2009 estimate)
services: 60.8 percent (2009 estimate)
comparison rankings: agriculture 120; industry 59; services 118. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Sectors of the Economy Composition of GDP by End Use) household consumption: 98 percent (2016 estimate)
government consumption: 37.6 percent (2016 estimate)
investment in fixed capital: 42.2 percent (2016 estimate)
exports of goods and services: 11.2 percent (2016 estimate)
imports of goods and services: -89.1 percent (2016 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Natural Resources: phosphates, fish
Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products. Industrial Production Growth NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Fiscal Year: 1 July: 30 June. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Economic Statistics for Nauru
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (purchasing power parity): $149.474 million (2021 estimate)
$147.265 million (2020 estimate)
$145.591 million (2019 estimate). Data are in 2017 dollars; ranking compared to other countries in the world: 224. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Growth: 1.5 percent (2021 estimate)
1.15 percent (2020 estimate)
0 percent (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 173. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Per Capita GDP: $11,900 (2021 estimate) Data are in 2017 dollars
$12,000 (2020 estimate) Data are in 2017 dollars
$12,000 (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 133. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
GDP: (official exchange): $114 million (2017 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Inflation (consumer prices): 5.1 percent (2017 estimate)
8.2 percent (2016 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 65
Agriculture in Nauru
Agricultural Products: coconuts, tropical fruit, vegetables, pork, eggs, pig offals, pig fat, poultry, papayas, cabbages. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Land Use: agricultural land: 20 percent (2018 estimate). Arable Land: 0 percent (2018 estimate); permanent crops: 20 percent (2018 estimate); permanent pasture: 0 percent (2018 estimate); forest: 0 percent (2018 estimate); other: 80 percent (2018 estimate). Irrigated Land: 0 square kilometers (2022). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Labor, Poverty and Unemployment
Labor Force: NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Labor Force by Occupation: note: most of the labor force is employed in phosphate mining, public administration, education, and transportation.
Unemployment Rate: 23 percent (2011 estimate)
90 percent (2004 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 15. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Youth Unemployment Rate (ages 15-24): total: 26.6 percent; male: 20.9 percent; female: 37.5 percent (2013); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 53. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Below Poverty Line: NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution: 34.8 (2012 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 110. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Trade in Nauru
Current Account Balance: $8.406 million (2018 estimate)
$14.11 million (2017 estimate)
$2.079 million (2016 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 73. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Exports (data in current year dollars): $31.101 million (2018 estimate); $39.883 million (2017 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 213. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Main Exports: skipjack, calcium phosphates, tuna, cars, delivery trucks, low-voltage protection equipment (2021). Export Partners: Thailand 34 percent, Australia 16 percent, United States 13 percent, South Korea 10 percent, Philippines 9 percent, Japan 7 percent, France 5 percent (2019). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Imports (data in current year dollars): $94.796 million (2018 estimate); $91.571 million (2017 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 217. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Main Imports: refined petroleum, construction vehicles, tug boats, poultry meats, cars (2019). Import Partners: Taiwan 52 percent, Australia 28 percent (2019). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Debt and Foreign Exchange
Debt (External): $33.3 million (2004 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 199. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Public Debt: 62 percent of GDP (2017 estimate)
65 percent of GDP (2016 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 79. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Taxes: 48.24 percent (of GDP) (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 6. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Currency Exchange Rates: Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar
1.331 (2021 estimate)
1.453 (2020 estimate)
1.439 (2019 estimate)
1.338 (2018 estimate)
1.305 (2017 estimate)
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023