Economy
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Sources: State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Tajikistan,
www.stat.tj, ADB estimates, www.adb.org
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Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Because of a lack of employment opportunities in Tajikistan, nearly half of the labor force works abroad, primarily in Russia, supporting families in Tajikistan through remittances. The exact number of labor migrants is unknown, but estimated at around 1 million. Less than 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and obsolete infrastructure. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Tajikistan's economic situation remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, corruption, weak governance, widespread unemployment, seasonal power shortages, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Completion of the Sangtuda I hydropower dam - built with Russian investment - and the Sangtuda II and Rogun dams will add substantially to electricity output. If finished according to Tajik plans, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. Tajikistan has also received substantial infrastructure development loans from the Chinese government to improve roads and an electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south trade, the US funded a $36 million bridge which opened in August 2007 and links Tajikistan and Afghanistan. While, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population continues to live in poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped below 8% in 2005-08, as the effects of higher oil prices and then the international financial crisis began to register - mainly in the form of lower prices for key commodities and lower remittances from Tajiks working in Russia, due to the declining economic conditions in that country.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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Exchange rate |
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$13.16 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
$12.2 billion (2007 est.)
$11.31 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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Sources IMF, IFS, ADB |
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$5.135 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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7.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
7.8% (2007 est.)
7% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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Current account indicators |
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$1,800 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
$1,700 (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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Sources: IMF, ADB |
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agriculture: 22.7%
industry: 27.1%
services: 50.2% (2008 est.)
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Labor force:
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Fiscal balance |
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2.1 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 118 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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Sources: IMF, ADB |
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agriculture: 67.2%
industry: 7.5%
services: 25.3% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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2.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
2.4% (2007 est.)
note: official rates; actual unemployment is higher
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Population below poverty line:
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60% (2007 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2007 est.)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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Gross international reserves |
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32.6 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 99
34.7 (1998)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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Sources: IMF, National Bank of Tajikistan, ADB |
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12% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144 |
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Budget:
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revenues: $996.8 million
expenditures: $899.6 million (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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Inflation |
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20.5% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 206
13.1% (2007 est.)
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Sources: State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Tajikistan,
www.stat.tj, ADB estimates, www.adb.org
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