recovered with moderate 2.3% growth in 1994 and 1995. 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 - $197 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $19,500 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 28% services: 70% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 4.126 million by occupation: services 63.6%, industry 28%, construction 6.1%, agriculture 2.3% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1995 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: NA%
Electricity: capacity: 14,040,000 kW production: 66 billion kWh consumption per capita: 6,334 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine entering the
European market
Exports: $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: $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% (1994)
External debt: $31.3 billion (1992 est.)
Economic aid: donor: ODA, $808 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 30.036 (January 1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150 (1992), 34.148 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation———————
Railways:
total: 3,396 km (2,363 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,396 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 137,876 km
paved: 129,603 km (including 1,667 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,273 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural
gas 3,300 km
Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur,
Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 64,220 GRT/83,360 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 8, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas
tanker 3, oil tanker 6 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 42
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 6
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 9
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 21
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)
Communications———————
Telephones: 5.691 million (1992 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed, technologically advanced, and
completely automated domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable
network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 39, shortwave 0
Radios: 100,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 32 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 3,315,662 (1993 est.)
Defense———
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability: males age 15–49: 2,571,588 males fit for military service: 2,135,375 males reach military age (19) annually: 61,986 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $4.6 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1995)
======================================================================
@Belize———
Map—
Location: 17 15 N, 88 45 W—Middle America, bordering the
Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Flag——
Description:
