Belarus Ranks First within CIS for Industrial Output Growth

The CIS Interstate Statistical Committee has reported on the outcome of 2004.

The Belarusian economy has retained its leading position within the former USSR with industrial output growing by 15.6 percent — pushing it into first place among the CIS countries. We rank second for GDP growth with a rise of 11 percent; Ukraine is in first place with a 12-percent increase. Belarus is followed by Tajikistan (a 10.6-percent GDP growth), Azerbaijan (10.2 percent), Armenia (10.1 percent), Kazakhstan (9.4 percent), Georgia (8.4 percent) and Moldova (7.3 percent). Russia and Kyrgyzstan showed the lowest GDP gain at only 7.1 percent each. Belarus’ index differs from other CIS members’ results as our country is the first and the only one to have reached the 1990, pre-crisis, GDP level.

Industrial growth is an underlying factor for GDP growth and Belarus undeniably leads the CIS. It is followed by Tajikistan (14.3 percent), Ukraine (12.5 percent), Kazakhstan (10.1 percent), Moldova (6.9 percent), Russia (6.1 percent), Azerbaijan (5.7 percent), Kyrgyzstan (3.7 percent), Georgia (3.4 percent) and Armenia (2.1). With Georgia and Armenia, the gap between GDP and industrial growth is large — their economies have not been boosted by rising commodity production. The CIS Interstate Statistical Committee publishes reports annually and the reliability of their data is unquestionable.