Agriculture > products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Budget > Expenditures	$2,310,000,000.00		[110th of 165]
Budget > Revenues	$1,149,000,000.00		[126th of 166]
Debt > External	$0.00		[99th of 136]
Economic aid > Recipient	$1,400,000,000.00		[3rd of 134]
Economy > Overview High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external security controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifada in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed to address security concerns in Israel, disrupted labor and trade access to and from the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offered some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, but continued Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more restrictive after Hamas violently took over the territory in June 2007, have resulted in widespread private sector layoffs and shortages of most goods.
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)
Exports	$301,000,000.00		[157th of 189]
Exports > Commodities	citrus, flowers, textiles
Exports to US	$100,000.00		[212nd of 224]
GDP	$768,000,000.00		[173rd of 203]
GDP (purchasing power parity)	$5,034,000,000.00		[159th of 187]
GDP > Composition by sector > Agriculture	8%		[80th of 146]
GDP > Composition by sector > Industry	13%		[140th of 146]
GDP > Real growth rate	-8%		[169th of 198]
Human Development Index	0.729		[103rd of 178]
Imports	$2,440,000,000.00		[117th of 185]
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6%		[99th of 192]
Population below poverty line	80%		[1st of 46]
Trade balance with US	-$100,000.00		[110th of 224]

Related links:

• Forum discussion > Economy
• Stay updated with current stat feeds! Subscribe to the Economy RSS / Atom feeds
•  Subscribe to our popular Economy factoids RSS / Atom feeds
• Save this page on  del.icio.us / furl / your bookmarks

More facts and figures on Gaza Strip