ent of State,
7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140
telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500
FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with
the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's
highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center;
beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and
above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted
triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of
Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early
15th centuries); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the
flag centered in the white and blue bands

Economy Slovenia

Economy - overview:
Slovenia, with its historical ties to Western Europe, enjoys a GDP
per capita substantially higher than that of the other transitioning
economies of Central Europe. In March 2004, Slovenia became the
first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor
partner at the World Bank. Privatization of the economy proceeded at
an accelerated pace in 2002-03, and the budget deficit dropped from
3.0% of GDP in 2002 to 1.6% in 2003. Despite the economic slowdown
in Europe in 2001-03, Slovenia maintained 3% growth. Structural
reforms to improve the business environment allow for greater
foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and help to lower
unemployment. Further measures to curb inflation are also needed.
Corruption and the high degree of coordination between government,
business, and central bank policy are issues of concern in the
run-up to Slovenia's scheduled 1 May 2004 accession to the European
Union.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $36.82 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 39.7%
services: 57.3% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 23% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.6% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
875,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA

Unemployment rate:
11.2% (2003