dressing the structural
problems inherited from the MECIAR period, such as large inefficient
enterprises, an insolvent banking sector and high inter-company debts,
and declining tax and social support payments. Furthermore, the
government faces considerable public discontent over the government's
austerity package, persistent high unemployment - which reached an
all-time high of 20% in December 1999 - rising consumer prices,
reduced social benefits, and declining living standards. Real GDP is
forecast to stagnate in 2000; inflationary pressures will remain
strong due to further price liberalization; and little scope exists
for further fiscal consolidation in the 2000 budget, which is based on
rosier assumptions than nearly all private forecasts.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $45.9 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,500 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 33%
services: 62% (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 3.32 million (1997)

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

Unemployment rate: 20% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.4 billion
expenditures: $5.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity,
gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery;
paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles;
textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products

Industrial production growth rate: 0.9% (1998)

Electricity - production: 20.035 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 24%
hydro: 20%
nuclear: 56%
other: 0% (1999 est.)

Electricity - consumption: 23.3 billion kWh (1999 est.)

Electricity - exports: 920 million kWh (1999 est.)

Electricity - imports: 840 million kWh (1999 est.)

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

Exports: $10.1 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37%;
intermediate manufactured goods 30%, miscellaneous manufactured goods
13%; chem