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| Economy - overview | Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable but underdeveloped hydropower capacity. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 2000, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. Georgia had suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however, the new government is making progress and has reformed the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked down on corruption. Due to concerted reform efforts, collection rates have improved considerably to roughly 60%, both in T'bilisi and throughout the regions. In addition, the reinvigorated privatization process has met with success, supplementing government expenditures on infrastructure, defense, and poverty reduction. Despite customs and financial (tax) enforcement improvements, smuggling remains a drain on the economy. Georgia also suffers from energy shortages due to aging and badly maintained infrastructure, as well as poor management. Continued reform in the management of state-owned power entities is essential to successful privatization and onward sustainability in this sector. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on its role as a transit state for pipelines and trade. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline have brought much-needed investment and job opportunities. Nevertheless, high energy prices have compounded the pressure on the country's inefficient energy sector. Restructuring the sector and finding energy supply alternatives to Russia remain major challenges. | | | GDP | 0.59% (2005 est.) | | | GDP - real growth rate | 8% (2006 est.) | | | GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 27.5%
services: 54.8% (2006 est.) | | | Population below poverty line | 54% (2001 est.) | | Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.9% (1996) | | Distribution of family income
- Gini index | 38 (2003) | | | Labor force | 2.04 million (2004 est.) | | | Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 40%
industry: 20%
services: 40% (1999 est.) | | | Unemployment rate | 12.6% (2004 est.) | | | Budget | revenues: $1.726 billion
expenditures: $1.879 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) | | | Industries | steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine | | | Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2000) | | Electricity -
production | 6.804 billion kWh (2004) | | Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 19.7%
hydro: 80.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) | | Electricity -
consumption | 8.528 billion kWh (2004) | | Electricity -
exports | 200 million kWh (2004) | | Electricity -
imports | 2.4 billion kWh (2004) | | | Oil - production | 1,981 bbl/day (2004) | | | Oil - consumption | 13,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) | | | Oil - exports | NA bbl/day | | | Oil - imports | NA bbl/day | | | Agriculture - products | citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock | | | Exports | $1.761 billion (2006 est.) | | | Exports - commodities | scrap metal, machinery, chemicals; fuel reexports; citrus fruits, tea, wine | | | Exports - partners | Russia 18.1%, Turkey 14.3%, Azerbaijan 9.8%, Turkmenistan 8.9%, Bulgaria 5%, Armenia 4.7%, Ukraine 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2005) | | | Imports | $3.32 billion (2006 est.) | | | Imports - commodities | fuels, machinery and parts, transport equipment, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals | | | Imports - partners | Russia 15.4%, Turkey 11.4%, Azerbaijan 9.4%, Ukraine 8.8%, Germany 8.3%, US 6% (2005) | | | Debt - external | $2.04 billion (2004) | | | Economic aid - recipient | ODA, $150 million (2000 est.) | | | Currency code | GEL | | | Exchange rates | lari per US dollar - 1.78 (2006), 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003), 2.1957 (2002) | | | Fiscal year | calendar year | |
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