Economy—overview: Today, Slovenia exhibits one of the highest per capita GDPs of the transition economies of the region, fairly moderate inflation, and a comfortable level of international reserves. Slovenia received an invitation in 1997 to begin accession negotiations with the EU—a reflection of its sound economic footing. Slovenia must press on with privatization, enterprise restructuring, institution reform, and liberalization of financial markets, thereby creating conditions conducive to foreign investment and the maintenance of a stable tolar. Critical to the future success of the economy is the development of export sales in increasingly competitive international markets.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$20.4 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 3.6% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$10,300 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 35%
services: 60% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 24.5% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 857,400

Labor force—by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $8.48 billion
expenditures: $8.53 billion, including capital expenditures of $455 million (1996 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1996)

Electricity—production: 12.075 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 34.58%
hydro: 29.31%
nuclear: 36.11%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 11.295 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 2.03 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 1.25 billion kWh (1996)

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

Exports: $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: manufactured goods 45%, machinery and transport equipment 30%, chemicals 10%, food 3% (1997)

Exports—partners: Germany 29%, Italy 15%, Croatia 10%, France, Austria, US (1997)

Imports: $9.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment 31%, manufactured goods 31%, chemicals 11%, fuels and lubricants, food (1997)

Imports—partners: Germany 21%, Italy 17%, France 10%, Austria 8%, Croatia 5%, Hungary, US (1997)

Debt—external: $4.4 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: ODA, $5 million (1993)

Currency: 1 tolar (SlT) = 100 stotins

Exchange rates: tolars (SlT) per US$1—162.50 (January 1999), 166.13 (1998), 159.69 (1997), 135.36 (1996), 118.52 (1995), 128.81 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year