Britain's economy is based primarily on private enterprise. Private sector accounts for 79 per cent of output and 95 per cent of employment.
Manufacturing has an important role in the economy. Britain excels in high-technology industries, such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, aerospace and offshore equipment, where British companies are among the world's largest and most successful.
Britain's chemical industry is the third largest in Europe. Over half of its output is exported. Traditionally, Britain has been a major producer of basic industrial chemicals, plastics and fertilizers. ICI is the sixth largest chemical company in the world and the world's largest paint manufacturer.
Britain's pharmaceutical industry is the world's fourth biggest exporter of medicines, accounting for around 12 per cent of the world market. Glaxo Wellcome became the largest pharmaceutical company in the world when Glaxo took over Wellcome in 1995. British firms have discovered and developed 13 of the world's fifty best-selling drugs.
Machine-building is an area where British firms excel, especially in construction equipment, wheeled tractors, internal combustion engines, textile machinery, medical equipment, pumps and compressors.
Britain has the fourth largest electronic industry in the world. Products include computers, communication equipment and a large variety of components. As well as an extensive range of computer hardware and associated equipment, British firms design computer applications software and are particularly strong in specialist markets such as computer-aided design (CAD), mathematical software, geographical information systems and data visualisation. Major advances are being made by British firms and academic institutions in the field of "virtual reality", a three-dimensional (3D) computer simulation technique.
Britain's aerospace industry is the third largest in the Western world. British Aerospace (BA)produces both civil and military aircraft. The company has a 20 per cent share in the European multinational giant Airbus Industries, which manufactures a family of airbus airliners. It is also a partner in multinational projects, including the Tornado combat aircraft and the Eurofighter 2000, which made its first flight in 1994. Rolls-Royceis one of the world's three prime manufacturers of aeroengines.
Britain has the largest energy resources of any country in the European Union and is a major producer of oil and natural gas. The main energy sources are coal, nuclear power and water power. The two largest British oil companies are British Petroleum (BP) andShell Transport and Trading. In 1994 Britain's oil and gas production from wells in the North Sea and on land amounted to nearly 2 per cent of GDP.
Services account for two-thirds of Britain's GDP. The number of people employed in services rose from about 13 million in 1983 to 16.5 million in 1995. Britain is a major financial centre, housing some of the world's leading banking, insurance, and other financial services and markets. The heart of the financial industry is the collection of banks and markets in and around the City of London.
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