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- Economy
-
- Overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free
- market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths
- the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing
- sector--principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries.
- Trade is important, with the export of goods representing
- about 25% of GNP. Except for timber and several minerals,
- Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some
- components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate,
- agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency
- in basic commodities. Economic prospects are generally bright,
- the main shadow being the increasing pressures on wages
- and prices.
-
- GDP: $74.4 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 4.6%
- (1989 est.).
-
- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1989).
-
- Unemployment rate: 3.4% (1989).
-
- Budget: revenues $28.3 billion; expenditures $28.1 billion,
- including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1988 est.).
-
- Exports: $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--timber,
- paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear;
- partners--EC 44.2% (UK 13.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.9%, Sweden 14.1%,
- US 5.8%.
-
- Imports: $22.0 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs,
- petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment,
- iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder
- grains; partners--EC 43.5% (FRG 16.9%, UK 6.8%), Sweden 13.3%,
- USSR 12.1%, US 6.3%.
-
- External debt: $5.3 billion (1989).
-
- Industrial production: growth rate 4.3% (1989).
-
- Electricity: 13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh
- produced, 9,940 kWh per capita (1989).
-
- Industries: metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry
- and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs,
- textiles, clothing.
-
- Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GNP (including forestry);
- livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates;
- forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation
- for the rural population; main crops--cereals, sugar beets,
- potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of food and fodder
- grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons.
-
- Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion.
-
- Currency: markka (plural--markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark
- = 100 pennia.
-
- Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1--4.0022 (January
- 1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987), 5.0695
- (1986), 6.1979 (1985).
-
- Fiscal year: calendar year.
-