The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is a country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa. It has a population of 766,865 people, growing at 1.87% per year, and 75.5% of the population over age 15 are literate and 28% of the population lives in urban areas. The average age of the population is 19.2 years and the life expectancy is 63.48 years, which means that is a very young population.
Comoros’s economy is based on the primary sector. GDP in 2013 stood at $911 million dollars, with a real growth of 3.5% annually. The GDP per capita was recorded at $1,300 dollars.
Its economy is based on tourism, foreign aid, subsistence agriculture, fishing and forestry, the leading sector of the economy. Agriculture, fishing, hunting and forestry, contribute 50% of GDP, employ 80% of the labor force, and provide most of the exports.
The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main feed, accounts for the majority of imports.
To improve the economic situation, the government is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate.
Main export products: vanilla, perfume essences, cloves, copra.
Major import products: rice, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment.