yment level is around 9-10
percent (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
29% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 23.2% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $13.57 billion
expenditures: $12.26 billion, including capital expenditures of NA;
note - these estimates probably do not include the government's
doubling of pensions in September of 2004 (2004 est.)

Public debt:
24.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk

Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and
transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)

Industrial production growth rate:
16.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
180 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 48.6%
hydro: 7.9%
nuclear: 43.5%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
132 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
1.2 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
72,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
303,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
395 million bbl (9 November 2004)

Natural gas - production:
19.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
79.86 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
5.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
60.4 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
560.7 billion cu m (9 November 2004)

Current account balance:
$4.584 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$32.91 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners:
Russia 18%, Germany 5.8%, Turkey 5.7%, Italy 5%, US 4.6% (2004)

Imports:
$31.45 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:
Russia 41.8%, Germany 9.6%, Turkmenistan 6.7% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.33 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$16.37 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: