§ Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the gross domestic product, both in total and per capita, in France and the United Kingdom
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT MAKET PRICES CONVERTED TO $US USING OFFICIAL OR MARKET EXCHANGE RATES 1952 1956 1966 1976 Total GDP ($ million) France … … … … 29,640 38,890 106,510 346,740 United Kingdom … … … 43,780 57,870 105,720 219,180 GDP per capita ($) France … … … … 685 870 2,166 6,552 United Kingdom … … … 865 1,130 1,934 3,914 GDP per capita (United Kingdom=100) France … … … … 79 77 112 167 United Kingdom … … … 100 100 100 100 Comparisons on the basis of prevailing exchange rates can, however, be misleading as they do not necessarily reflect the relative internal purchasing power of the currencies. On the basis of internal purchasing power parity* and with the United Kingdom=100, gross domestic product at market prices per capita for France was 105 in 1966 and 131 in 1976. Reliable data for the earlier years are not available. Sources: National accounts of OECD countries, OECD. Economic Trends Annual Supplement 1977, HMSO. * Based on the method published in an article in Economic Trends, November 1975.