GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1996 est.)

Labor force: 70,044 (1988)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 20%, industry 16%,
services 60%, mining 4% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1994)

Budget:
revenues: $755.6 million
expenditures: $755.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)

Industries: nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 1.145 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 69.87%
hydro: 30.13%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 1.145 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: vegetables; beef, other livestock products

Exports: $500 million (f.o.b., 1996)

Exports--commodities: ferronickels, nickel ore

Exports--partners: Japan 31%, France 29%, US 12%, Australia 7%,
Taiwan 6% (1996 est.)

Imports: $845 million (c.i.f., 1996)

Imports--commodities: foods, transport equipment, machinery and
electrical equipment, fuels, minerals

Imports--partners: France 45%, Australia 18%, Singapore 7%, New
Zealand 6%, Japan 4% (1996 est.)

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--recipient: $446.3 million (1995); note?about $50
million yearly support from France for government operations

Currency: 1 Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (CFPF) = 100
centimes

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
US$1--102.72 (January 1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00
(1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.93 (1994); note--linked at the rate of
18.18 to the French franc

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 38,748 (1993 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios: 97,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 6 (in addition, there are 25
low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 47,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 5,562 km
paved: 975 km
unpaved: 4,587 km (1993)

Ports and harbors: Mueo, Noumea, Thio

Merchant marine: n