. Index
. 1996 Index
. Flag
. Geography
. People
. Government
. Economy
. Transportation
. Commun'tions
. Defense
. Geo Names
. Feedback
===========
|
Reunion Economy 1996
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been
the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for
85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist
industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third
of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is
extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and
Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the
population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups
suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the
African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991
illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic
well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from
France.
GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1993 est.)
-
National product real growth rate:
-
National product per capita:
-
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
$914 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986 est.)
$166 million (f.o.b., 1988)
sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%, lobster 3%, vanilla and
tea 1%
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation
equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
growth rate NA%; about 25% of GDP
sugar, rum, cigarettes, several small shops producing handicraft items
accounts for 30% of labor force; dominant sector of economy; cash crops -
sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco; food crops - tropical fruits, vegetables, corn;
imports large share of food needs
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$14.8 billion
1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.2943 (January 1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632
(1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)
|
|
