s a little more than 1% of the population,
labor force, capital stock, and output of the former Soviet Union. Living
standards have been below average for the European USSR. The country enjoys
a favorable climate, and economic development has been primarily based on
agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Industry
accounts for 20% of the labor force, whereas agriculture employs more than
one-third. Moldova has no major mineral resources and has depended on the
former Soviet republics for coal, oil, gas, steel, most electronic
equipment, machine tools, and major consumer durables such as automobiles.
Its industrial and agricultural products, in turn, have been exported to the
other former Soviet republics. Moldova has freed prices on most goods and
has legalized private ownership of property, including agricultural land.
Moldova's economic prospects are dimmed by the difficulties of moving toward
a market economy and the political problems of redefining ties to the other
former Soviet republics and Romania.
GDP:
NA; per capita NA; real growth rate -12% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
97% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $NA million; expenditures $NA million, including capital
expenditures of $NA million (1992)
Exports:
$400 million rubles (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles and footwear, machinery, chemicals
(1991)
partners:
NA
Imports:
$1.9 billion rubles (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
oil, gas, coal, steel machinery, foodstuffs, automobiles, and other consumer
durables
partners:
NA
External debt:
$650 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -7% (1991)
Electricity:
3,000,000 kW capacity; 13,000 million kWh produced, 2,806 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
key products (with share of total former Soviet output in parentheses where
known): agricultural machinery, foundry equipment, refrigerators and
freezers (2.7%), washing machines (5.0%), hosiery (2.0%), refined sugar
(3.1%), vegetable oil (3.7%), canned food (8.6%), shoes, textiles
Agriculture:
Moldova's principal economic activity; products (shown in share of total
output of the former Soviet republics): Grain (1.6%), sugar beets (2.6%),
sunflower seed (4.4%), vegetables (4.4%), fruits and berries (9.7%), grapes