A traditional economy is an original economic system in which traditions, customs, and beliefs shape the goods and the services the economy produces, as well as the rules and manner of their distribution. It's very useful in all countries to provide goods for others. Countries that use this type of economic system are often rural and farm-based. Also known as a subsistence economy, a traditional economy is defined by bartering and trading. Little surplus is produced, and if any excess goods are made, they are typically given to a ruling authority or landowner.