e of
EMU, and they cite public opinion polls that continue to show a
majority of Britons opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government
has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and
health services, at a cost in higher taxes.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.782 trillion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,600 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 26.3%
services: 72.7% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
29.78 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 1.5%, industry 19.1%, services 79.5% (2004)

Unemployment rate:
4.8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
17% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
36.8 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
16.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $834.9 billion
expenditures: $896.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
39.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish

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:
0.9% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
395.9 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 73.8%
hydro: 0.9%
nuclear: 23.7%
other: 1.6% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
337.4 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
2.959 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
5.119 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
1.957 million bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.692 million bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.498 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
1.084 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves:
25.41 billion bbl (2003)

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