Trinidad & Tobago/

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Economic growth between 2000 and 2007 averaged slightly over 8%, significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period; however, GDP has slowed down since then and contracted about 3.5% in 2009, before rising more than 2% in 2010. Growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food products and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not as important domestically as it is to many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. The previous MANNING administration benefited from fiscal surpluses fueled by the dynamic export sector; however, declines in oil and gas prices have reduced government revenues which will challenge the new government’s commitment to maintaining high levels of public investment.

$27.1 billion (2010 est.)

$26.54 billion (2009 est.)

$27.42 billion (2008 est.)

$21.2 billion (2010 est.)

2.1% (2010 est.)

-3.2% (2009 est.)

3.5% (2008 est.)

$22,100 (2010 est.)

$21,600 (2009 est.)

$22,300 (2008 est.)

631,000 (2010 est.)

6.4% (2010 est.)

5.8% (2009 est.)

17% (2007 est.)

11.6% of GDP (2010 est.)

26.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

29% of GDP (2009 est.)

11.3% (2010 est.)

7% (2009 est.)

7.25% (31 December 2009)

10.75% (31 December 2008)

11.94% (31 December 2009 est.)

12.44% (31 December 2008 est.)

$3.734 billion (31 December 2010 est)

$3.407 billion (31 December 2009 est)

$12.47 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$11.35 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.924 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.823 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$11.15 billion (31 December 2009)

$12.16 billion (31 December 2008)

$15.61 billion (31 December 2007)

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles

2.5% (2010 est.)

7.202 billion kWh (2007 est.)

7.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

151,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)

43,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

248,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

92,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

39.3 billion cu m (2008 est.)

21.94 billion cu m (2008 est.)

17.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

436.1 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$3.363 billion (2010 est.)

$1.702 billion (2009 est.)

$12.06 billion (2010 est.)

$9.312 billion (2009 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers

US 38.53%, Jamaica 8.86%, Spain 6.88%, Mexico 6.23% (2009)

$8.234 billion (2010 est.)

$7.161 billion (2009 est.)

mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, live animals

US 30.87%, Colombia 7.1%, Venezuela 7.01%, Russia 6.64%, Brazil 5.53%, China 4.19% (2009)

$9.659 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$9.246 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.303 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.895 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$12.44 billion (2007)

$3.829 billion (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3337 (2010), 6.3099 (2009), 6.2896 (2008), 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006)