Economy - overview The economy is tied closely to the French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, 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 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate NA%

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 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) 2.5% (1992)

Labor force 58,800 (1997)

Labor force - by occupation services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)

Unemployment rate 21.4% (1998)

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 450 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 418.5 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry

Exports $155 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports - commodities shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing

Exports - partners France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997)

Imports $625 million (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports - commodities food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals

Imports - partners France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)

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 - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997)

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding French Guiana on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of French Guiana Economy 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about French Guiana Economy 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.