nd colors
(especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of
other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and
others

Economy
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Economic overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading
powers and financial centers, and its economy ranks among the four
largest in Western Europe. The economy is essentially capitalistic;
over the past 13 years the ruling Tories have greatly reduced public
ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs.
Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by
European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only
about 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and
oil reserves, and primary energy production accounts for 12% of GDP,
one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services,
particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by
far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to
decline in importance, now employing only 25% of the work force. The
economy registered 3.9% GDP growth in 1994, the best rate for six
years, but slipped back to 2.7% in 1995. Exports and manufacturing
output have been the primary engines of growth. Unemployment is
gradually falling. Inflation is at a tolerable 3%. A major economic
policy question for the UK in the 1990s is the terms on which it
participates in the financial and economic integration of Europe.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.1384 trillion (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita: $19,500 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 27.7%
services: 70.6% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (November 1995)

Labor force: 28.048 million
by occupation: services 62.8%, manufacturing and construction 25.0%,
government 9.1%, energy 1.9%, agriculture 1.2% (June 1992)

Unemployment rate: 8% (December 1995)

Budget:
revenues: $388.9 billion
expenditures: $447.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY94/95 est.)

Industries: production machinery including 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 pro