Editing Economy of Montserrat (section)

== Collapse ==
A catastrophic eruption of [[Soufrière Hills]] in June 1997 closed the [[W. H. Bramble Airport]] and seaport at [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]], causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number.

The [[Agriculture in Montserrat|agriculture sector]] continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for [[farming]] and the destruction of [[crops]]. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcano and on [[public sector]] construction activity. The [[UK]] launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island was expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.<ref name=imf>"''Montserrat – Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom: Assessment of the Supervision and Regulation of the Financial Sector''" International Monetary Fund, November 2003</ref>

[[File:Soufriere Hills.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Large volcano rising above a tropical forest.|[[Soufrière Hills]] continues to play a detrimental role in both agricultural and economic activity on Montserrat.]]Today, Montserrat's main economic activity is in construction and government services which together accounted for about 50 percent of GDP in 2000 when it was EC$76 million. In contrast, banking and insurance together accounted for less than 10 percent of GDP. The unemployment rate in 1998 was estimated at 6 percent. Montserrat's domestic financial sector is very small and has seen a reduction in offshore finance in recent years with only 11 [[offshore bank]]s remaining. Real GDP declined from EC$122 million in 1995 to about EC$60 million in 1999, with the rate of decline peaking at -21.5 percent for 1996. The decline in economic activity reflected in large part the completion of major projects in both the private and public sectors. However, the rate of decline slowed markedly since 2000 and 2001, when GDP contracted by less than 3 percent. In 2002, the GDP growth rate reverted to a positive 4.6 percent reversing the declining trend over the past six years and maybe more.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Real GDP (factor cost)<ref name=imf/>
! % Change
|-
| 1996
| 95.9
| -21.5
|-
| 1997
| 76.7
| -20.0
|-
| 1998
| 68.9
| -8.6
|-
| 1999
| 60.3
| -12.5
|-
| 2000
| 58.6
| -2.8
|-
| 2001
| 56.9
| -2.9
|-
| 2002
| 59.5
| -4.6
|-
| 2002
| 79.9 (2000 constant prices)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caricomstats.org/Files/Databases/National_Accounts/Constant/MSCON.htm|title=CARICOM Stats|website=Caricomstats.org|access-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609052225/http://www.caricomstats.org/Files/Databases/National_Accounts/Constant/MSCON.htm|archive-date=9 June 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| +3.3
|-
| 2003
| 78.9
| -0.9
|-
| 2004
| 82.4
| +4.5
|-
| 2005
| 83.7
| +1.5
|-
|}