Spain's Economy | Spanish Economy

Economy - overview: The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging five percent annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 10.4%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003 and 2.6% in 2004 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has initiated economic and social reforms that are generally popular among the masses of people but that are anathema to religious and other conservative elements. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.

GDP: 1.2% (2003)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.5% industry: 28.5% services: 68% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 32.5 (1990)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

Labor force: 19.33 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5.3%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 30.1%, services 64.6% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10.4% (2004 est.)

Budget: revenues: $383.7 billion expenditures: $386.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2004 est.)

Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production: 229 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:

Electricity - consumption: 218.4 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports: 4.4 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports: 9.8 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production: 7,099 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption: 1.497 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports: 135,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports: 1.582 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves: 10.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production: 516 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption: 17.96 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports: 17.26 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves: 254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Agriculture - products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Exports: $172.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities: machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods

Exports - partners: France 19.3%, Germany 11.7%, Portugal 9.6%, UK 9%, Italy 9%, US 4% (2004)

Imports: $222 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods; foodstuffs, consumer goods; measuring and medical control instruments

Imports - partners: Germany 16.6%, France 15.8%, Italy 8.9%, UK 6.3%, Netherlands 4.8% (2004)

Debt - external: $771.1 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

Currency:

Currency code:

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Fiscal year: calendar year



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