ital plant Canada enjoys solid economic
prospects. Solid fiscal management has produced a long-term budget
surplus which is substantially reducing the national debt, although
public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the
publicly funded healthcare system. Trade accounts for roughly a
third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its
principal trading partner, the United States, which absorbs more
than 85% of Canadian exports. Roughly 90% of the population lives
within 160 kilometers of the US border.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $958.7 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $29,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.2%
industry: 29.2%
services: 68.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.5% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 23.8% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31.5 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
17.04 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 3%, manufacturing 15%, construction 5%, services 74%,
other 3% (2000)

Unemployment rate:
7.8% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $348.2 billion
expenditures: $342.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
77% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy
products; forest products; fish

Industries:
transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed
minerals, food products; wood and paper products; fish products,
petroleum and natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
0.2% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
566.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
504.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
38.4 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
16.11 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
2.738 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.703 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

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

Oil - imports:
1.145 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
5.112 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
186.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
82.25 bi