The 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.

purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1996 est.)

NA%

purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1996 est.)

agriculture: 6%
industry: 9%
services: 85% (1993 est.)

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

NA

125,900 (1997)

agriculture 15%, industry 17%, services
68% (1997)

27.8% (1998)

revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105
million (1996)

construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism

NA%

1.22 billion kWh (1998)

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

1.135 billion kWh (1998)

0 kWh (1998)

0 kWh (1998)

bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and
vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats

$140 million (f.o.b., 1997)

bananas, sugar, rum

France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1997)

$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)

foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other
consumer goods, construction materials

France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%,
Netherlands Antilles 2% (1997)

$NA

$NA; note - substantial annual French
subsidies

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155(1996), 4.9915 (1995)

calendar year