generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under
international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system
was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been
offset somewhat by international aid and foreign direct investment.
Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy
sector.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$13.65 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22.9% industry: 36.1% services: 41.1% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
1.4 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 45%, industry 25%, services 30% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 46.2% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.5% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $428.1 million
expenditures: $491.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Industries:
diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing
machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk
fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry
manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Industrial production growth rate:
15% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
6.492 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 27% nuclear: 30.7% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 5.797 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 704 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2002)
Electricity - imports:
463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2002)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
5,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance:
$-240.4 million (2004 est.)
Exports:
$850 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy
Exports - partners:
Belgium 18%, Israel 15.3%, Germany 13.3%, Russia 12.5%, US 8.1%,
Netherlands 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Georgia 4.3%, UAE 4% (2004)
Imports:
$1.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds
Imports - partners:
Russia 11.3%, Belgium 10.1%, Israel 8.4%, US 7.6%, Iran 7.1%, UAE
6.1%, Ukraine 5.9%, Italy 5.5%, Germany 5.2%, Georgia 4.6%, France
4.5% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$555 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
$905 million (June 2001)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $170 million (2000)
Currency (code):
dram (AMD)
Currency code:
AMD
Exchange rates:
drams per US dollar - 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003), 573.35 (2002),
555.08 (2001), 539.53 (2000)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Armenia
Telephones - main lines in use:
562,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
114,400 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and
undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment
are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the
Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional
international service is available by microwave radio relay and
landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and
by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
850,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters); (1998)
Televisions:
825,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.am
Internet hosts:
2,206 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
9 (2001)
Internet