Economy, jobs and prices in Charente (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France): official figures
GDP per person was 33,900 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 85% of the EU average (98% for France); 33rd highest of 101 departments in France.
How big is the economy of Charente?
The local economy produced €12.9 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Charente?
About 148,700 people worked in Charente in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median income in Charente?
In 2023 Charente ranked 41st lowest of 97 departements on median living standard, at €24,850 a year per consumption unit, against €25,920 across metropolitan France.
Source: INSEE · saved copyHow unequal are incomes in Charente?
The poorest tenth of the population of Charente lived on less than €13,430 a year in 2023, while the richest tenth had more than €40,910, so the top threshold was 3.0 times the bottom one (metropolitan France: 3.5).
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhere does household income come from in Charente?
Wages and salaries made up 56.6% of household disposable income in Charente in 2023 (8.4 points lower than the metropolitan average of 65.0%), and self-employment income a further 5.7%.
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Charente?
The largest part of the economy of Charente in 2024 was public administration, education, health and other services, at 24.0% of gross value added, followed by industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (23.9%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Charente?
Factories, mines and energy produced 23.9% of the value added in Charente in 2024, against 13.7% for France.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Charente growing?
Gross value added rose from €9.0 billion in 2015 to €11.6 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 28% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Charente?
Of the 148,700 jobs located in Charente in 2024, 36% in public services, education, health and other services, 15% in industry and 6.9% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Charente?
The number of people working in Charente rose by 8.1% between 2015 and 2024, to 148,700.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Income inequality in Charente, measured by the Gini index of living standards, was 0.256 in 2023, 40th least unequal of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 0.297). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Pensions and annuities supplied 33.4% of disposable income in Charente in 2023, 37th highest of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 27.2%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Income from savings, property and other assets accounted for 11.0% of household income in Charente in 2023, while direct taxes took the equivalent of 14.2% (metropolitan France: 12.2% and 16.7%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Unemployment benefits represented 2.3% of disposable income in Charente in 2023, compared with 2.4% across metropolitan France. Source: INSEE · saved copy
How Charente compares with other departments in France
Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) (2023)
Charente ranks 57 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | Seine-Maritime | €24,940 |
| 55 | Vienne | €24,940 |
| 56 | Corrèze | €24,910 |
| 57 | Charente | €24,850 |
| 58 | Ardèche | €24,820 |
| 59 | Cantal | €24,820 |
| 60 | Loire | €24,800 |
Gini index of living standards (2023)
Charente ranks 58 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Gini index of living standards |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.258 |
| 56 | Lot | 0.257 |
| 57 | Ariège | 0.256 |
| 58 | Charente | 0.256 |
| 59 | Dordogne | 0.256 |
| 60 | Jura | 0.255 |
| 61 | Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.255 |
Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Charente ranks 37 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Ardèche | 33.6% |
| 35 | Tarn | 33.6% |
| 36 | Lozère | 33.4% |
| 37 | Charente | 33.4% |
| 38 | Haute-Saône | 32.7% |
| 39 | Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 32.3% |
| 40 | Meuse | 32.2% |
Wages as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Charente ranks 62 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Wages as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 59 | Aube | 57.2% |
| 60 | Ardennes | 57.1% |
| 61 | Finistère | 57.1% |
| 62 | Charente | 56.6% |
| 63 | Saône-et-Loire | 56.6% |
| 64 | Yonne | 56.4% |
| 65 | Cher | 56.4% |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Charente ranks 7 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ain | 25.6% |
| 5 | Jura | 25.3% |
| 6 | Ardèche | 24.7% |
| 7 | Charente | 23.9% |
| 8 | Cher | 23.6% |
| 9 | Haute-Saône | 23.5% |
| 10 | Drôme | 23.3% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Charente ranks 97 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 94 | Manche | 22.8% |
| 95 | Martinique | 22.7% |
| 96 | Marne | 22.6% |
| 97 | Charente | 22.4% |
| 98 | Guadeloupe | 20.9% |
| 99 | Haute-Marne | 20.8% |
| 100 | Ardennes | 19.0% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Charente ranks 84 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | Haut-Rhin | 24.4% |
| 82 | Eure-et-Loir | 24.4% |
| 83 | Eure | 24.2% |
| 84 | Charente | 24.0% |
| 85 | Alpes-Maritimes | 23.8% |
| 86 | Seine-Saint-Denis | 23.6% |
| 87 | Loire-Atlantique | 23.6% |
More on Charente: overview · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- INSEE: Indicateurs sur les revenus et la pauvreté au niveau local en 2023 (Filosofi 2023, base FILOSOFI_CC), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f3822a78e3f5…)
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