entral geographic location, highly developed
transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base.
Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the
north, although the government is encouraging reinvestment in the
southern region of Walloon. 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. The economy grew at a strong 4% annual pace during the
period 1988-90, slowed to 1% in 1991-92, dropped by 1.5% in 1993,
recovered with moderate 2.3% growth in 1994 and 1995, and fell off
again to 1.4% in 1996, with continued substantial unemployment.
Belgium's public debt has risen to 140% of GDP, and the government is
trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line
with other industrialized countries.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $204.8 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.4% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,300 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 28%
services : 70% (1994)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 2.1% (1996)

Labor force:
total: 4.126 million
by occupation: services 69.7%, industry 27.7%, agriculture 2.6% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1996 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: 3.4% (1995 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 13.59 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 74.4 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 6,823 kWh (1995 est.)

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

Exports:
total value: $108 billion (f.o.b., 1994) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union (BLEU)
commodities: iron and steel, transportation equipment, tractors,
diamonds, petroleum products
partners : EU 67.2% (Germany 19%), US 5.8%, former Communist countries
1.4% (1994)

Imports:
total value: $140 billion (c.i.f., 1994) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union
commodities: fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners: EU 68% (Germany 22.1%), US 8.8%, former Communist countries
0.8% (