Wallonia. With few natural
resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw
materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its
economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets.
Two-thirds of its trade is with other EU countries. Belgium's public
debt fell from 127% of GDP in 1996 to 122% of GDP in 1998 and the
government is trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure
more into line with other industrialized countries. Belgium became a
charter member of the European Monetary Union (EMU) in January 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$236 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 2.8% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$23,400 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 27.2%
services: 70.9% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 20.2% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 4.283 million (1997)

Labor force--by occupation: services 69.7%, industry 27.7%,
agriculture 2.6% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 12% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle
assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals,
textiles, glass, petroleum, coal

Industrial production growth rate: 9.7% (1995)

Electricity--production: 71.066 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 41.73%
hydro: 0.33%
nuclear: 57.93%
other: 0.01% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 75.266 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 5.4 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 9.6 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits,
grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk

Exports: $145.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products

Exports--partners: EU 67.2% (Germany 19%), US 5.8% (1994)

Imports: $137.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports--partners: EU 75% (Germany 22.1%), US 5% (1997)

Debt--external: $22.3 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--3