tions, retroactive application of
new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and
factory owners. Close relations with Russia, possibly leading to reunion,
color the pattern of economic developments. For the time being, Belarus
remains self-isolated from the West and its open-market economies.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $84.8 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,200 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13% industry: 42% services:
45% (2000)

Population below poverty line: 22% (1995 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 20% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 21.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 46.1% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 4.8 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: industry and construction NA%, agriculture
and forestry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate: 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000);
large number of underemployed workers

Budget: revenues: $4 billion expenditures: $4.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $180 million (1997 est.)

Industries: metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers,
motorcycles, television sets, chemical fibers, fertilizer, textiles,
radios, refrigerators

Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 24.66 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.51% hydro: 0.08%
other: 0.41% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 26.78 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 300 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 4.15 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax;
beef, milk

Exports: $7.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral products,
chemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, metals

Exports - partners: Russia 51%, Ukraine 8%, Poland 4%, Germany 3% (2000)

Imports: $8.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports - commodities: mineral products, machinery and equipment,
chemicals, foodstuffs, metals

Imports - partners: Russia 65%, Germany 7%, Poland 3% (2000)

Debt - external: $770 million (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $194.3 million (1995)

Currency: Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code: BYB/BYR

Exchange rates: Belarusian rubles p