on, wool, and meat are
the main agricultural products and exports. Industrial exports include
gold, mercury, uranium, and hydropower. Kyrgyzstan has been one of the
most progressive countries of the former Soviet Union in carrying out
market reforms. Following a successful stabilization program, which
lowered inflation from 88% in 1994 to 15% for 1997, attention is
turning toward stimulating growth. Much of the government's stock in
enterprises has been sold. Drops in production have been severe since
the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995
production began to recover and exports began to increase. Pensioners,
unemployed workers, and government workers with salary arrears
continue to suffer. Foreign assistance played a substantial role in
the country's economic turnaround in 1996-97.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$9.7 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,100 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 47%
industry: 12%
services: 41% (1996 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 15% (1997 est.)

Labor force:
total: 1.7 million
by occupation: agriculture and forestry 40%, industry and construction
19%, other 41% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (December 1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $308 million, including capital expenditures of $11
million (1996 est.)

Industries: small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes,
sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth
metals

Industrial production growth rate: 10.8% (1996 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 3.632 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 13.7 billion kWh (1996 est.)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 2,090 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: wool, tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables,
grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle

Exports:
total value: $506 million (1996)
commodities: cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium,
hydropower; machinery; shoes
partners: China, UK, FSU

Imports:
total value: $890 million (1996)
commodities: grain, lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel,
machinery, textiles, footwear
partners: Turkey, Cuba, US, Germany

Debt-external: $746 million (1996)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $56 million (1993)
note: commitments, 1992-95, $1,695 million ($390 million
disbursements)

Currency: 1 Kyrgyzstani som (KGS) = 100 ty