Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good
farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy
depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine,
and tobacco. Moldova must import all of its supplies of oil, coal, and
natural gas, largely from Russia. Energy shortages contributed to
sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in
1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort, Moldova introduced a
stable convertible currency, freed all prices, stopped issuing
preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land
privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. Yet
these efforts could not offset the impact of political and economic
difficulties, both internal and regional. In 1998, the economic
troubles of Russia, by far Moldova's leading trade partner, were a
major cause of the 8.6% drop in GDP; the value of the currency in
relation to the dollar fell by half. In 1999, GDP fell again, by 4.4%,
the fifth drop in the past six years; exports were down, and energy
supplies continued erratic. GDP is expected to remain at about the
same level in 2000.

purchasing power parity - $9.7 billion (1999 est.)

-4.4% (1999 est.)

purchasing power parity - $2,200 (1999 est.)

agriculture: 31%
industry: 35%
services: 34% (1998)

75% (1999 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 25.8% (1992)

38% (1999 est.)

1.7 million (1998)

agriculture 40.2%, industry 14.3%, other
45.5% (1998)

2% (includes only officially registered unemployed;
large numbers of underemployed workers) (September 1998)

revenues: $536 million
expenditures: $594 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry
equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery,
sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles

-10% (1999 est.)

5.661 billion kWh (1998)

fossil fuel: 93%
hydro: 7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

7.065 billion kWh (1998)

0 kWh (1998)

1.8 billion kWh (1998)

vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets,
sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk

$470 million (f.o.b., 1999)

foodstuffs, wine, and tobacco 66%; textiles and
footwear, machinery (1998)

Russia 53%, Romania 10%, Ukraine 8%, Germany 5%,
Belarus 4% (1998)

$560 million (f.o.b., 1999)

mineral products and fuel 31%, machinery and
equipment, chemicals, textiles (1998)

Russia 22%, Ukraine 16%, Romania 12%, Belarus 9%,
Germany 5% (1998)

$1.3 billion (December 1999)

$100.8 million (1995); note - $547 million
from the IMF and World Bank (1992-99)

Moldovan leu (MLD) (plural lei)

lei (MLD) per US$1 (end of year) - 12.1408 (January
2000), 10.5158 (1999), 5.3707 (1998), 4.6236 (1997), 4.6045 (1996),
4.4958 (1995)

calendar year