g
challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign
direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU
on a per capita basis. Taxes are relatively high, the labor market
is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales
to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere. The
current center-right government, elected in October 2004, has
pledged to accelerate privatization of a number of large state
holdings and is interested in increasing FDI in Slovenia. In late
2005, the government's new Committee for Economic Reforms was
elevated to cabinet-level status. The Committee's program includes
plans for lowering the tax burden, privatizing state-controlled
firms, improving the flexibility of the labor market, and increasing
the government's efficiency.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$46.08 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$37.64 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$22,900 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 34.7%
services: 62.9% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
914,000 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 39.1%
services: 56.1% (2004)

Unemployment rate:
9.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
10%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 21.4% (1998)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
25% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $15.9 billion
expenditures: $16.35 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
29% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep,
poultry

Industries:
ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting;
electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power
equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
14.46 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 35.2%
hydro: 27.3%
nuclear: 36.8%
other: 0.7% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
12.67 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
7.094 billi