Rank of Belarus from the poorest is 82nd and from the rich is 122 with gdp per capita using atlas method in 2003 is 1,590 $. In other measurement IMF,WB,CIA gdp per capita (nominal) measured in 2007,2007, 2008,
IMF.........................................WB..........................................CIA
rank/measure........................rank/measure.............................rank/measure
80/4,656...............................69/4,615..................................80/4,604
After the fall of the
Soviet Union, all former Soviet republics faced a
deep economic crisis.
Belarus has
however chosen its own way of overcoming this crisis. After the 1994 election of
Alexander
Lukashenko as the first
President, he launched the country on the
path of "
market
socialism" as opposed to what Lukashenko considered "wild capitalism" chosen
by
Russia at that time. In keeping with
this policy, administrative controls over prices and currency
exchange rates were
introduced. Also the state's right to intervene in the management of private
enterprise was expanded, but on March 4, 2008, the President issues a decree
abolishing the golden share rule in a clear movement to improve its
international rating regarding the foreign investment.
As part of the former
Soviet Union, Belarus had a relatively well
developed industrial base; it retained this industrial base following the
break-up of the USSR. The country also has a broad agricultural base and a high
education level. Among the former republics of the Soviet Union, it had one of
the highest standards of living. But Belarusians now face the difficult
challenge of moving from a state-run economy with high priority on military
production and heavy industry to a civilian, free-market system.
From 1991–1995, all sectors of the national economy were affected by the
profound economic crisis, triggered by the collapse of the Soviet Union. At
first, this event triggered the end of traditional economic processes, the sharp
drop in the economic capacity of enterprises and of the population of the
republics of the former Soviet Union that were key consumers of Belarus
products, cessation of financing from the Soviet Union’s military sector which
accounted for a considerable share of Belarus’ industry, shocks of price
liberalization, and, above all, outpacing growth in prices for raw materials and
energy resources. Moreover, Belarus, like the rest of the former Soviet Union
republics, was characterized by a general lack of preparedness of the country’s
institution and society for the market system of relations. The sharp growth in
prices for raw materials and energy resources revealed the technological
weakness of the economy with its resource-intensive and low-quality output. At
the same time, the weak competitiveness of the local products, legal
inter-government restrictions, and absence of marketing and financial management
skills prevented the country’s economic entities from making up for the drop in
effective demand at the traditional markets through the conquer of new export
markets.
Peat, the country's most valuable
mineral resource, is used for fuel and
fertilizer and in the chemical industry. Belarus also has deposits of
clay,
sand,
chalk,
dolomite,
phosphorite, and
rock and
potassium salt.
Forests cover about a third of the land, and
lumbering is an important sector.
The massive nuclear accident (April 26, 1986) at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant,
across the border in
Ukraine, had a
devastating effect on Belarus; as a result of the radiation release, agriculture
in a large part of the country was destroyed, and many villages were abandoned.
Resettlement and medical costs were substantial and long-term.
Wages and labour
market
Nominal accrued wages in Belarus by
raions in January 2013.
3 — 3.5 mln BYR (~$347 — $405)
3.5 — 4 mln BYR (~$405 — $462)
4 — 4.5 mln BYR (~$462 — $520)
4.5 — 5 mln BYR (~$520 — $578)
more than 5 mln BYR (~$578)
The Belarusian labour market is highly regulated. Important elements of the
central-planning
system are still in place. In principle, the decision to determine wages is left
to firms, but the Government can affect the structure of wages through the
so-called tariff system, a type of centrally determined wage grid. The tariff
system is binding in the budget sector, including enterprises and organisations
mainly financed and subsidised within the state and/or the local budgets. The
private (so-called self-financing sector) sector, representing, as already
noted, only a small share of employment, has little autonomy.
Unemployment
Official unemployment rate is lower than 1%, but it includes only registered
as unemployed. Methods of
International Labour
Organization (international standard) also include job-seekers who are not
registered officially. Many
unemployed people in Belarus are trying to avoid registration, because of
obligatory
public works,
while
unemployment benefits are very low
(~70,000
BYR per month, or
less than $10).
The special relationship between New Zealand and Samoa is underpinned by the 1962 Treaty of Friendship, concluded when Samoa became independent after a period of New Zealand trusteeship from 1919 to 1962. The relationship is rich and multi-stranded, with close links between New Zealand and Samoa supported by the large number of New Zealanders of Samoan descent or origin living in New Zealand. An estimated 131,100 Samoans now live in New Zealand, making up around 50% of this country’s Pacific Island population (2006 census). The arts and culture of Samoan New Zealanders have become a distinctive voice and contributor to New Zealand society. Some thirty New Zealand government agencies have active links with Samoa.
Samoa is New Zealand’s 42nd largest export market and 92nd import. This reflects that New Zealand is not a major destination for Samoa’s products, but is Samoa’s main source of imports. Samoa has a constant trade imbalance with all countries, offset by remittances and tourism. Tourism is Samoa’s largest export, with New Zealand forming 40% of its tourist market. The recent launch of the Auckland-based New Zealand Samoa Trade and Investment Commission reflects the Samoan Government’s determination to expand and diversify its exports to New Zealand.
