Economy - overviewMILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in October 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000, a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June 2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. An agreement rescheduling the country's $4.5 billion Paris Club government debts was concluded in November 2001 - it wrote off 66% of the debt - and the London Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt, just over half the total owed, in July 2004. The smaller republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and continues to maintain its own central bank, uses the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency, collects customs tariffs, and manages its own budget. Kosovo's economy continues to transition to a market-based system, and is largely dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. The euro and the Yugoslav dinar are both accepted currencies in Kosovo. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and Kosovo's local provisional government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment to help Kosovo integrate into regional economic structures. The complexity of Serbia and Montenegro political relationships, slow progress in privatization, legal uncertainty over property rights, scarcity of foreign-investment, and a substantial foreign trade deficit are holding back the economy. Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal discipline, are an important element in policy formation. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. GDP (purchasing power parity)$28.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate)$25.07 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate5% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP)$2,700 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sectoragriculture: 16.6% Population below poverty line30% (1999 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage sharelowest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices)15.5% (2005 est.) Labor force3.22 million (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupationagriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% Unemployment rate31.6%; note - unemployment is approximately 50% in Kosovo (2005 est.) Budgetrevenues: $11.45 billion Industriesmachine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals Industrial production growth rate1.7% (2002 est.) Electricity - production36.04 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - consumption36.62 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports400 million kWh (2003) Electricity - imports3.5 billion kWh (2003) Oil - production14,660 bbl/day (2003) Oil - consumption85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - exportsNA bbl/day Oil - importsNA bbl/day Oil - proved reserves38.75 million bbl (1 January 2002) Natural gas - production650 million cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption2.55 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - imports0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2002) Agriculture - productscereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats Exports$5.485 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commoditiesmanufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials Exports - partnersItaly 29%, Germany 16.6%, Austria 7%, Greece 6.7%, France 4.9%, Slovenia 4.1% (2004) Imports$11.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commoditiesmachinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials Imports - partnersGermany 18.5%, Italy 16.5%, Austria 8.3%, Slovenia 6.7%, Bulgaria 4.7%, France 4.5% (2004) Debt - external$15.43 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient$2 billion pledged in 2001 (disbursements to follow for several years) Currency (code)new Yugoslav dinar (YUM); note - in Montenegro the euro is legal tender; in Kosovo both the euro and the Yugoslav dinar are legal Exchange ratesnew Yugoslav dinars per US dollar - 58.6925 (2005) Fiscal yearcalendar year Investment (gross fixed)14.2% of GDP (2005 est.) Public debt53.1% of GDP (2005 est.) Current account balance$-2.451 billion (2005 est.) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$5.35 billion (2005 est.) |
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Source: CIA World Factbook |