Economy of Albania

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Economy of Albania

200 Leke note
Currency	Lek (ALL)
Fiscal year	Calendar year
Trade organisations	WTO
Statistics
GDP (PPP)	$18.97 billion note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2005 est.) (118th [1])
GDP growth	5.5% (2005 est.)
GDP per capita	$4,900 (2005 est.)
GDP by sector	agriculture: 23.2%, industry: 18.8%, services: 57.9% (2005 est.)
Inflation (CPI)	2.4% (2005 est.)
Pop below poverty line	25% (2004 est.)
Labour force	1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.)
Labour force by occupation	Agriculture 57%, Non-agricultural private sector 20%, Public sector 23% (2003 est.)
Unemployment	14.3% official rate, but may exceed 30% (2005 est.)
Main industries	Food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Trading Partners
Exports	$650.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Export goods	textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Main partners	Italy: 72.4%, Greece: 10.5%, Serbia and Montenegro: 5% (2005)
Imports	$2.473 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports goods	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Main Partners	Italy: 29.3%, Greece: 16.4%, Turkey: 7.5%, China: 6.6%, Germany: 5.4%, Russia: 4% (2005)
Public finances
Public debt	external: $1.55 billion (2004)
Revenues	$1.96 billion (2005)
Expenses	$2.377 billion; including capital expenditures of $500 million (2005)
Economic aid	recipient: ODA: $366 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2003 est.)
Main source [2] All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars

A poor country by West European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The collapse of communism in Albania came later and was more chaotic than in other east European countries and was marked by a mass exodus of refugees to Italy and Greece in 1991 and 1992. Attempts at reform began in earnest in early 1992 after real GDP fell by more than 50% from its peak in 1989.

The democratically elected government that assumed office in April 1992 launched an ambitious economic reform program to halt economic deterioration and put the country on the path toward a market economy. Key elements included price and exchange system liberalization, fiscal consolidation, monetary restraint, and a firm income policy. These were complemented by a comprehensive package of structural reforms including privatization, enterprise, and financial sector reform, and creation of the legal framework for a market economy and private sector activity. As a result, current GDP per capita expanded by a remarkable 85% in the nineties. Most prices were liberalized and are now at or near international levels. Most agriculture, state housing, and small industry were privatized. Progress continued in the privatization of transport, services, and small and medium-sized enterprises. In 1995, the government began privatizing large state enterprises.

1 Macro-economic trend
2 Other statistics
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Albania at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund with figures in millions of Lekes.

Year	Gross Domestic Product	US Dollar Exchange	Inflation Index (2000=100)
1980	17,411	9.49 Lekes	5.10
1985	18,896	8.58 Lekes	5.10
1990	18,840	9.01 Lekes	5.10
1995	251,843	92.79 Lekes	55
2000	530,906	143.68 Lekes	100
2005	836,833	102.649 Lekes	117

For purchasing power parity comparisons, the US Dollar is exchanged at 44.11 Lekes only.

Results of Albania's efforts were initially encouraging. Led by the agricultural sector, real GDP grew by an estimated 11% in 1993, 8% in 1994, and more than 8% in 1995, with most of this growth in the private sector. Annual inflation dropped from 25% in 1991 to single-digit numbers. The Albanian currency, the lek, stabilized. Albania became less dependent on food aid. The speed and vigor of private entrepreneurial response to Albania's opening and liberalizing was better than expected. Beginning in 1995, however, progress stalled, with negligible GDP growth in 1996 and a 9% contraction in 1997. A weakening of government resolve to maintain stabilization policies in the election year of 1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary pressures, spurred by the budget deficit which exceeded 12%. Inflation approached 20% in 1996 and 50% in 1997. The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997 - which had attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's population - triggered severe social unrest which led to more than 1,500 deaths, widespread destruction of property, and an 8% drop in GDP. The lek initially lost up to half of its value during the 1997 crisis, before rebounding to its January 1998 level of 143 to the dollar. The new government, installed in July 1997, has taken strong measures to restore public order and to revive economic activity and trade.

Albania is currently undergoing an intensive macroeconomic restructuring regime with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The need for reform is profound, encompassing all sectors of the economy. However, reforms are constrained by limited administrative capacity and low-income levels, which make the population particularly vulnerable to unemployment, price fluctuation, and other variables that negatively affect income. The economy continues to be bolstered by remittances of some 20% of the labor force that works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes. In 1998, Albania recovered the 8% drop in GDP of 1997 and pushed ahead by 7% in 1999. International aid has helped defray the high costs of receiving and returning refugees from the Kosovo conflict. Largescale investment from outside is still hampered by poor infrastructure; lack of a fully functional banking system; untested or incompletely developed investment, tax, and contract laws; and an enduring mentality that discourages bureaucratic initiative.

[edit] Other statistics

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3.1% (2004 est.)

Electricity - Production: 5.68 GWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 2.9%
hydro: 97.1%
other: 0%
nuclear: 0% (2001)

Electricity

Consumption: 6.76 GWh (2004)
Exports: 200 GWh (2003)
Imports: 1.08bn GWh (2003)

Oil

production: 3,600 barrel/day (946 m³/d) 2005
consumption: 25,200 barrel/day (3,560 m³/d) 2005
exports: NA (2001)
imports: 21,600 barrel/day (3,560 m³/d) 2005 est.
proved reserves: 185.5 million barrel (29,490,000 m³) (1 January 2002(

Natural gas

production: 30 million m³ (2003 est.)
consumption: 30 million m³ (2003 est.)
exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
proved reserves: 2.832 km³ (1 January 2002)

Agriculture

Products: wheat, maize, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products

Exchange Rates

Lekë per US dollar - 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001), 143.709 (2000), 137.691 (1999)

[edit] References

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2006
This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2003