| Economy - overview: |
The Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $3.513 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: |
NA |
| GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: |
NA |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
NA (2003 est.) |
| Labor force: |
125,900 (1997) |
| Labor force - by occupation: |
NA |
| Unemployment rate: |
27.8% (1998) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
| Industries: |
construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
NA |
| Electricity - production: |
1.155 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - consumption: |
1.074 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
| Agriculture - products: |
bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats |
| Exports: |
$140 million f.o.b. (1997) |
| Exports - commodities: |
bananas, sugar, rum |
| Exports - partners: |
France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$1.7 billion c.i.f. (1997) |
| Imports - commodities: |
foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials |
| Imports - partners: |
France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1999) |
| Debt - external: |
NA (yearend 2003 est.) |
| Economic aid - recipient: |
NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (1995) |
| Currency: |
Euro(EUR)
Current Euro Exchange Rates
Historical Euro Exchange Rates
Chart Euro Exchange Rates |
| Currency code: |
EUR |
| Exchange rates: |
euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
| Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
