Economy of Wales

The economy of Wales is part of the wider economy of the United Kingdom, and encompasses the production and consumption of goods, services and the supply of money in Wales.

Economy of Wales
Cardiff Bay in Cardiff: Wales's capital city
CurrencyPound sterling (£)
1 April to 31 March
Statistics
Population3,105,410 (2021)
GDP£79.7 billion (2021)
GDP per capita
£25,665 (2021)
Labour force
1,437,000 / 71.1% in employment (Oct–Dec 2023)
Labour force by occupation
List
  • 23.2% Professional
  • 14.0% Associate professional
  • 10.8% Elementary occupations
  • 9.8% Caring, leisure and other service
  • 9.3% Managers, directors and senior officials
  • 9.3% Skilled trades
  • 9.3% Administrative and secretarial
  • 7.3% Sales and customer service
  • 6.5% Process plant and machine operatives
  • (Oct 2022 – Sep 2023)
Unemployment51,000 / 3.5% (Oct–Dec 2023)
Average gross salary
£636.10 per week (2023)
External
Exports£23.8 billion (2021)
Export goods
List
  • £6.4bn Machinery and transport
  • £2.4bn Manufactured goods
  • £2.4bn Chemicals
  • £2.1bn Mineral fuels
  • £1.0bn Miscellaneous manufactures
  • £0.6bn Food and live animals
  • £0.2bn Crude materials
  • £0.0bn Beverages and tobacco
  • £0.0bn Animal and vegetable oils
  • £0.0bn Other commodities
  • £15.2bn Total
  • (2021)
Main export partners
List
  • £9.1bn European Union
  • £2.6bn North America
  • £1.7bn Asia & Oceania
  • £0.7bn Middle East and North Africa (excl. EU)
  • £0.6bn Western Europe (excl. EU)
  • £0.2bn Eastern Europe (excl. EU)
  • £0.2bn Latin America and Caribbean
  • £0.1bn Sub-Saharan Africa
  • £0.0bn Undefined country group
  • £15.2bn Total
  • (2021)
Imports£19.2 billion (2021)
Import goods
List
  • £5.2bn Machinery and transport
  • £4.0bn Mineral fuels
  • £2.1bn Manufactured goods
  • £1.7bn Miscellaneous manufactures
  • £1.5bn Chemicals
  • £1.0bn Crude materials
  • £0.5bn Food and live animals
  • £0.1bn Beverages and tobacco
  • £0.0bn Animal and vegetable oils
  • £0.0bn Other commodities
  • £16.1bn Total
  • (2021)
Main import partners
List
  • £5.9bn European Union
  • £3.7bn Asia & Oceania
  • £2.5bn North America
  • £1.7bn Middle East and North Africa (excl. EU)
  • £1.1bn Western Europe (excl. EU)
  • £0.7bn Sub-Saharan Africa
  • £0.4bn Eastern Europe (excl. EU)
  • £0.2bn Latin America and Caribbean
  • — Undefined country group
  • £16.1bn Total
  • (2021)

On the whole, Gross domestic product (GDP) in Wales has increased since 1999, although it remains lower than the UK average. UK government and Welsh government expenditure in Wales has also increased over the same period. Wales has received funding from the European Structural and Investment Funds and the UK government has announced that this funding is being replaced by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, although the Welsh Government has suggested that Wales is receiving less money. Wales has a negative fiscal balance, although all countries and regions of the UK also had a fiscal deficit in 2020/21. The Gross Value Added in Wales has increased since 1998, but per head remains lower than the UK average.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.