Economy of Gabon
The economy of Gabon is characterized by strong links with France, large foreign investments, dependence on skilled foreign labor, and decline of agriculture. Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa, its reliance on resource extraction industry releasing much of the population from extreme poverty. Resources. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP and 80% of exports. Although there have been recent offshore finds, oil production is now declining from its peak of in 1997, and periods of low oil prices have had a negative impact on  government revenues and the economy. In 2012 there were six active oil rigs in Gabon. The government announced in 2012 that it would reassess exactly how much iron ore the Belinga site contains before awarding the concession to a mining company, most likely to be China's CMEC, which temporarily secured the rights to the ore in 2007. Statistics. The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2017. GDP - composition by sector: "agriculture:" 5.7% "industry:" 57.2% "services:" 37% (2008 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: "lowest 10%:" NA% "highest 10%:" NA% Inflation  rate (consumer prices): 5% (2008 est.) Labour force: 592,000 (2008 est.) Labour force - by occupation: agriculture 60%, services and government 25%, industry and commerce 15% (2000 est.) Unemployment rate: 21% (2006 est.) Budget: "revenues:" $4.46 billion "expenditures:" $2.75 billion (2008 est.) Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and gold mining; chemical production; ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2008) Oil - production Oil - consumption Oil - exports Oil - imports Oil - proven reserves Natural gas - production 100 million cu m (2006 est.) Natural gas - consumption 100 million cu m (2006 est .) Natural gas - exports 0 cu m (2007 est.) Natural gas - imports 0 cu m (2007 est.) Natural gas - proven reserves 28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) Electricity - production: 1.671 TWh (2006 est.) Electricity - production by source: "fossil fuel:" 27.8% "hydro:" 72.2% "nuclear:" 0% "other:" 0% (1998) Electricity - consumption: 1.365 GWh (2006 est.) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2006 est.) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical hardwood); fish Current account - balance $591 million (2010 est.) Currency: 1 Communauté financière africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Communauté  financière africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 – 507.71 (2010), 472.19 (2009), 447.81 (2008), 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995) "note:" since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro