Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France
Economy Belgium
Economy - overview: This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. 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. About three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Belgium's public debt is expected to fall to about 100% of GDP in 2002, and the government has succeeded in balancing its budget. Belgium, together with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001 dropped sharply due to the global economic slowdown. Prospects for 2002 depend largely on recovery in the EU and the US.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $267.7 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $26,100 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.4% industry: 24% services: 74.6% (2000)
Population below poverty line: 4%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 20.2% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 4.44 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.8% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $113.44 billion expenditures: $106 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.17 billion (2000)
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 79.348 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.31% hydro: 0.57% other: 1.46% (2000) nuclear: 57.66%
Electricity - consumption: 78.13 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 7.309 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 11.645 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Exports: $160.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products
Exports - partners: EU 74% (France 18%, Germany 17%, Netherlands 13%,
UK 10%), US 6% (2000)
Imports: $154 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products
Imports - partners: EU 68% (Germany 17%, Netherlands 17%, France 13%,
UK 9%) (2000)
Debt - external: $28.3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)
Currency: euro (EUR); Belgian franc (BEF) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code: EUR; BEF
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Belgian francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Belgium
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.769 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 974,494 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: 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: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 8.075 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 4.72 million (1997)
Internet country code: .be
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 61 (2000)
Internet users: 2.807 million (2001)
Transportation Belgium
Railways: total: 3,422 km standard gauge: 3,422 km 1.435-m gauge (2,517 km electrified; 2,563 km double-tracked) (2001)
Highways: total: 145,774 km paved: 116,182 km (including 1,674 km of expressways) unpaved: 29,592 km (1999)
Waterways: 1,570 km (route length in regular commercial use) (2001)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km
Ports and harbors: Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge,
Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine: total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 31,362 GRT/54,058 DWT ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 9, petroleum tanker 5, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Finland 1, Netherlands 3 (2002 est.)
Airports: 42 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Belgium
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Components, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military
