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 - $1.1 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2002 est.)
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)
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 - 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
NOTE: The information regarding French Guiana on this page is re-published from the 2003 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Geography 2003 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about French Guiana Economy 2003 should be addressed to the CIA.
