France overtakes Britain as world's No. 5 economy after pound drops

Tourists stroll on the Trocadero square, in front of the Eiffel Tower during a rainy day in Paris on May 30, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS

PARIS (REUTERS) - France and Britain were vying for fifth place on the list of the world's biggest economies on Wednesday, with France nudging ahead after a renewed slump in the pound in the wake of the Brexit vote, Reuters calculations showed.

Britain's gross domestic product stood at £1.864 trillion (S$3.251 trillion) in 2015, according to the last available figures from the International Monetary Fund.

The average exchange rate for the year in question is commonly used for comparisons between countries. But using the current exchange rate, France has pulled slightly ahead.

With the pound falling below €1.17 overnight for the first time since 2013, that means the size of the British economy in 2015 is now equivalent to €2.172 trillion (S$3.251 trillion) - less than France's official GDP of €2.182 trillion last year.

Britain's vote in a referendum on June 23 to quit the EU has hammered financial markets, rattled businesses and punished the pound, which was trading at €1.1650 as of 1440 GMT (10.40pm Singapore time).

But volatile exchange rates meant the figures were hard to pin down. Britain briefly regained fifth spot after the pound broke above €1.17 for a few hours on Wednesday, only to sag again in mid-afternoon trade.

Britain and France, which have similar populations, have swapped positions before in the rankings.

In 2014, Britain overtook France, six years after the financial crisis caused the pound to fall and allowed France to regain a crown it had lost in 1997.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.