Business & Finance |
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Economy - overview: |
Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. A $300 million stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 will support government efforts to overcome high rates of poverty, unemployment, and inflation. |
GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $50.6 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate: |
4.8% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 13.7%
industry: 28.5%
services: 57.8% (2001) |
Population below poverty line: |
12.6% (2001 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 4.5%
highest 10%: 22.8% (1997) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
26.4 (2001) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
5.9% (2002 est.) |
Labor force: |
3.83 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.) |
Unemployment rate: |
18% (2002 est.) |
Budget: |
revenues: $5.57 billion
expenditures: $5.68 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Industries: |
electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel |
Industrial production growth rate: |
2% (2002 est.) |
Electricity - production: |
41.38 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 47.8%
hydro: 8.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 44.1% |
Electricity - consumption: |
32.52 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports: |
6.79 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports: |
830 million kWh (2001) |
Oil - production: |
603 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
Oil - consumption: |
94,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
Oil - exports: |
NA (2001) |
Oil - imports: |
NA (2001) |
Oil - proved reserves: |
8.1 million bbl (January 2002 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
3.724 billion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products: |
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets |
Exports: |
$5.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Exports - commodities: |
clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels |
Exports - partners: |
Italy 14%, Turkey 10%, Germany 9%, Greece 8%, Serbia and Montenegro 8% (2000) |
Imports: |
$6.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Imports - commodities: |
fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles |
Imports - partners: |
Russia 19.9%, Germany 15.3%, Italy 9.6%, France 6.0% (2000) |
Debt - external: |
$10.3 billion (yearend 2002) |
Economic aid - recipient: |
$300 million (2000 est.) |
Currency: |
lev (BGL) |
Currency code: |
BGN |
Exchange rates: |
leva per US dollar - 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999), 1.7604 (1998)
note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July 1999 lev is equal to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev |
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
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Communication |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
3,186,731 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
1.054 million (2001) |
Telephone system: |
general assessment: extensive but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay
international: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) |
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations: |
39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001) |
Internet country code: |
.bg |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
200 (2001) |
Internet users: |
585,000 (2001) |
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Transportation |
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Railways: |
total: 4,294 km
standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2002) |
Highways: |
total: 37,288 km
paved: 33,786 km (including 324 km of expressways)
unpaved: 3,502 km (2001) |
Waterways: |
470 km (1987) |
Pipelines: |
petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,500 km (1999) |
Ports and harbors: |
Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin |
Merchant marine: |
total: 69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 829,421 GRT/1,252,496 DWT
ships by type: bulk 42, cargo 10, chemical tanker 4, container 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 (2002 est.) |
Airports: |
216 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 128
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 92 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 |
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 88
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 74 (2002) |
Heliports: |
1 (2002) |
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Source: CIA World Factbook, 2003 |
