Economy - overview:
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the
quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the
past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership
and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is
intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,
producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force.
The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy
production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any
industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and
business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth
slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the
pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt
manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the
strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment
remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated
the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join
the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out,
however, that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and they
point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of
Britons opposed to the single currency. Meantime, the government has
been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health
services, at a cost in higher taxes. The war in March-April 2003
between a US-led coalition and Iraq, together with the subsequent
problems of restoring the economy and the polity, involve a heavy
commitment of British military forces.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.528 trillion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 24.9%
services: 73.7% (2000)
Population below poverty line:
17%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.7% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.8 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
29.7 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999)
Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2002 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $565 billion
expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY 01)
Industries:
machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment,
railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and
parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals,
coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing,
textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.4% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
360.9 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 73.8%
hydro: 0.9%
other: 1.6% (2001)
nuclear: 23.7%
Electricity - consumption:
346.1 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
264 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
10.66 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
2.541 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.71 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
2.205 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
1.418 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
4.741 billion bbl (37257)
Natural gas - production:
105.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
92.85 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
714.9 billion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports:
$286.3 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners:
US 15.5%, Germany 11.2%, France 9.4%, Ireland 8%, Netherlands 7.1%,
Belgium 5.2%, Italy 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2002)
Imports:
$330.1 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, US 11.9%, France 7.8%, Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium 5%,
Italy 4.4% (2002)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $4.5 billion (2000)
Currency:
British pound (GBP)
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange rates:
British pounds per US dollar - 0.67 (2002), 0.69 (2001), 0.66
(2000), 0.62 (1999), 0.6 (1998)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March