industry: 28.4%
services: 69.2% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 24.9% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.7% (1998)

Labor force: 25.4 million

Labor force--by occupation: services 69%, industry 26%,
agriculture 5% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $222 billion
expenditures: $265 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy,
aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (1998)

Electricity--production: 480.783 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 8.72%
hydro: 12.92%
nuclear: 78.25%
other: 0.11% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 411.743 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 72.64 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 3.6 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine
grapes; beef, dairy products; fish

Exports: $289 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel
products, textiles and clothing

Exports--partners: Germany 16%, UK 10%, Italy 9%, Spain 8%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 8%, US 6.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Japan 2%, Russia
0.9% (1997)

Imports: $255 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: crude oil, machinery and equipment,
agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products

Imports--partners: Germany 17%, Italy 10%, US 9%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 8%, UK 8%, Spain 7%, Netherlands 5%, Japan 3%,
China 2.5% (1997)

Debt--external: $117.6 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $8.4 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.65 (January 1999),
5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520
(1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 6.55957 French francs per euro; the euro will replace the
local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 35 mill