ssador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N.
THAYER
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava
telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338
FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist
side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue

Economy Slovakia

Economy - overview:
Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a
centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA
government made excellent progress during 2001-03 in macroeconomic
stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly
complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands,
and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded
expectations in 2001-03, despite the general European slowdown.
Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003, remains the economy's
Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004,
especially cutting the budget deficit, containing inflation, and
strengthening the health care system.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $72.29 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.9% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.9%
industry: 47.9%
services: 46.2% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
25.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
26.3 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
2.58 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8.9%, industry 29.3%, construction 8%, transport and
communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)

Unemployment rate:
15.2% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $12.03 billion
expenditures: $13.69 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003)

Public debt:
37.6% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry;
forest products

Industries:
metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas,
coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery;
paper and printing; e