The economy of Réunion has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labour force.
The gap in Réunion between the well-off and the poor is large and accounts for persistent social tensions. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrated the seriousness of socio-economic tensions.
In 2007 the GDP per capita of Réunion at nominal exchange rates, not at PPP, was €17,146 (US$23,501). However, while this is exceptionally high compared with its neighbours in Madagascar and the African continent, it is only 57% of the 30,140 euros per capita GDP of metropolitan France in 2007. Reunion Island is one of the French departments with the highest poverty rate with 42% of the population living below the poverty line. The total GDP of the island was US$18.8 billion in 2007.
Other export products Essential oil (mainly vetyver and rose scent geranium) Bourbon vanilla Fish & seafood, mainly tuna, swordfish and Patagonian toothfish
Statistics Currency: 1 euro (sign: €; code: EUR) = 100 Cent Exchange rates: See: Euro exchange rate Fiscal year: calendar year
See also
Economy of France in: French Guiana, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna Taxation in France Economic history of France Poverty in France
References