Economy - overview:
The economy is tied closely to the larger French economy through
subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou
(which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most
important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the
country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully
exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn
logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal
area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc
are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports
of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly
among younger workers.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.26 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation:
services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%,
agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Unemployment rate:
22% (2001)
Budget:
revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105
million (1996)
Industries:
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
455 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
423.2 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Agriculture - products:
corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas;
cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports:
$155 million f.o.b.
Exports - commodities:
shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners:
France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001)
Imports:
$625 million c.i.f.
Imports - commodities:
food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment,
fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners:
France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002)
Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (1988)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Currency:
euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
Currency code:
EUR; FRF
Exchange rates:
Euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94
(1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year