Gross National Income (GNI)
New Caledonia GNI is high and places it in 38 Th. position among 207 countries. Its GNI is even slightly above the one of New-Zealand. Its corrected GNI (atlas method, World Bank) is 14 000 $ per annum and per person in 2002. France's corrected GNI is 22 500 $ (2002). USA's is 34 870 $, Ethiopia's is 100 $!Other corrected GNI in the Region (2002 and 2001, source World bank )- Australia 20 000 $ (2002)
- New-Zealand : 13 700 $ (2002)
- Fiji : 2000 $ (2002)
- Vanuatu : 1080 $ (2002)
- Papuasia - New-Guinea (2002): 530 $
- Solomon : 600 $ (2001).
GNI breakdown
The public sector makes the most important part of the GNI. About 1/4 of the GNI corresponds with the salaries in the administrations.
10% comes from mines and metallurgy.
The agricultural sector generates hardly 2%
Aid
New Caledonia receives financial aid making about 1/4 of its
GNI, this is among the world's records. Aid amounts to 3 800 $ per head.
Aid makes 17% of GNI in neighbouring Vanuatu and 2% in Fiji.
Currency
The local currency is the CFP Francs which has a fixed rate to the Euro. Legally (décret of 1945). Franc CFP means Franc des Colonies Françaises du Pacifique despite giving since more pudical names such as the current Change Franc Pacifique.
Exchange Rates (fixed) : 100 CFP= 0,838 € , 1 € = 119,33 CFP - Use the € / CFP converter
Consumer price index variation : 1% in 2003 and 1.5% in
2002 (source Isee).
Other
indicators
Télécommunications
While New Caledonia has a GNI of an advanced country, it would be placed among the less advanced countries in number of telephone lines and with the high costs of telephone calls and of the Internet.
In 2002, number of lines was 231 for 1000 people compared to 573/1000 in France and 519 in Australia. However they were 310/1000 mobile phones much higher than in less advanced countries but still well below advanced ones ( France : 605/1000, Australia : 579/1000)
Unit cost for local calls is the highest in the region and one of the highest in the world. International calls costs are also very high, 3 to 10 times the costs in advanced countries.
Access to the Internet with 25 000 users in 2001, or 11% of the population, is close to France's level (14% in 2000) but far behind USA (33%) and Northern Europe (37% in Finland). Costs of ADSL Internet connexions are incredibly high while connexion speed is abysmally slow.
Yearly registration of vehicles
75 000 cars are currently registered, that is one for 3 people. It is a rich country ratio. 7000 new cars are registered each year.
Trade
Total imports reach 113 billion CFP (950 M€) against 45 billion CFP (380 M€) exports in 1999
This imbalance is permanent but increased in 1999.
New Caledonia is foremost an exporter of nickel ores and nickel metallurgical products. Total value of these exports was 30 billion CFP (250 M€) in 1999 thus 93% of all exports.
The second exporting sector relates to sea products with 2,4 billion CFP, or 6% of total exports. Shrimp farming makes 3/4 of these exports which have well increased in 1999