Currency | Euro (EUR, €) |
---|---|
Calendar year | |
Trade organisations | EU, WTO and OECD |
Country group | |
Statistics | |
Population | 1,340,068 (1 January 2021) [3] |
GDP | |
GDP rank | |
GDP growth |
|
GDP per capita | |
GDP per capita rank | |
GDP by sector |
|
| |
Population below poverty line | |
31.8 medium (2023) [8] | |
| |
73 out of 100 points (2023) [10] (13th) | |
Labour force | |
Labour force by occupation |
|
Unemployment | |
Average gross salary | €2,113, monthly (June, 2024) |
€1,630, monthly (December, 2024) | |
Main industries | engineering, electronics, wood and articles of wood, textiles, information technology, telecommunications |
External | |
Exports | €18.2 billion (2023) [15] |
Export goods | Electrical equipment, agricultural products and food, wood and wooden articles, mineral products, transport equipment |
Main export partners | |
Imports | €21.2 billion (2023) [15] |
Import goods | Electrical equipment, transport equipment, mineral products, agricultural products and food, mechanical appliances |
Main import partners | |
FDI stock | |
$809 million (2017 est.) [5] | |
Gross external debt | $19.05 billion (31 December 2016 est.) [5] |
Public finances | |
Revenues | 38.7% of GDP (2019) [16] |
Expenses | 39.0% of GDP (2019) [16] |
Economic aid |
|
| |
$345 million (31 December 2017 est.) [5] | |
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars. |
The economy of Estonia is rated advanced by the World Bank, i.e. with high quality of life and advanced infrastructure relative to less industrialized nations. Estonia is a member of the European Union, eurozone and OECD [20] The economy is heavily influenced by developments in the Finnish and Swedish economies. [21]
After Estonia restored its independence in 1991 and became a market economy, it emerged as a pioneer in the global economy. Estonia styled itself as a bridge between East and West, adopting significant economic reforms and technological innovations. In 1992, the country adopted the Estonian kroon as its currency, this stabilised the economy. In 1994, it became the first country in the world to adopt a flat tax, with a rate of 26% regardless of personal income. Estonia received more foreign investment, per person, in the late 1990s than any other country in Central and Eastern Europe. The country has been catching-up with the EU-15 - the richer European countries. Its GDP per capita grew from 35% of the EU-15 average in 1996 to 65% in 2007, similar to Central European countries. [22] Income per person was $49,000 in 2023 according to the IMF; this was between Poland and Portugal, but below Spain. [23]
For Estonia, the 2007–2008 financial crisis was easier to weather, because its budget has consistently been kept balanced, and this meant public debt relative to GDP remained the lowest in Europe. The economy recovered in 2010. [24] In January 2011, Estonia adopted the euro, joining the eurozone. [25] Estonia has demonstrated resilience, with a strong service sector, particularly in IT due to the Tiigrihüpe project, and advanced e-government services. Estonia's commitment to a circular economy, innovation and its success in maintaining a balanced budget, low public debt, and a competitive tax system have positioned it as a model of economic reform and growth in post-Soviet Europe.
In the decades prior to World War I and independence, during the Czarist rule a rather large industrial sector developed in Estonia. For example, the Kreenholm Manufacturing Company was then the world's largest cotton mill.
After declaring independence in 1918, the Estonian War of Independence and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Tartu in 1920, the new Estonian state inherited a ruined post-war economy and an inflated ruble currency. Despite considerable hardship, dislocation, and unemployment, Estonia spent the first decade of independence entirely transforming its economy. In 1918, The Czarist ruble was replaced by the Estonian mark, which was in circulation until 1927. By 1929, a stable currency, the kroon, had been established. It was issued by the Bank of Estonia, the country's central bank. Compensating the German landowners for their holdings, the government confiscated the estates and divided them into small farms, which subsequently formed the basis of Estonian prosperity. Trade focused on the local market and the West, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom. Only 3% of all commerce was with the USSR.
Historically, Estonia's economy was agricultural, modernising significantly post-independence from Russia in 1918. There was a notable knowledge sector in Tartu and expanding industrial sector, exemplified by the Kreenholm Manufacturing Company. Western European markets were familiar with Estonian dairy, with the main trade partners being Germany and the UK; only 3% of commerce was with the neighbouring USSR. Estonia and Finland had a similar standard of living. [26] USSR's annexation of Estonia in 1940 and destruction during World War II crippled the economy. Post-war Sovietization continued, with the integration of Estonia's economy into the USSR's centrally-planned structure.
The USSR's forcible annexation of Estonia in 1940 and the ensuing Nazi and Soviet destruction during World War II crippled the Estonian economy. Post-war Soviet occupation and Sovietisation of life continued with the integration of Estonia's economy and industry into the USSR's centrally planned structure. More than 56% of Estonian farms were collectivised in the month of April 1949 alone after mass deportations to Siberia the previous month. Moscow expanded on those Estonian industries which had locally available raw materials, such as oil shale mining and phosphorites.
After Estonia restored its independence in 1991 and became a market economy, it emerged as a pioneer in the global economy. Estonia styled itself as a bridge between East and West, adopting significant economic reforms and technological innovations.
In June 1992, Estonia replaced the ruble with its own freely convertible currency, the kroon. A currency board was created and the new currency was pegged to the German Mark at the rate of 8 Estonian kroons per Deutsche Mark. When Germany introduced the euro the peg was changed to 15.6 kroons per euro.
In 1994, it became the first country in the world to adopt a flat tax, with a rate of 26% regardless of personal income. [27] Between 2005 and 2008, this was reduced to 21% over several steps. [22]
In early 1992, both liquidity problems and structural weakness stemming from the communist era precipitated a banking crisis. As a result, effective bankruptcy legislation was enacted and privately owned; well-managed banks emerged as market leaders.[ citation needed ]. The fully electronic Tallinn Stock Exchange opened in early 1996, and was purchased by Finland's Helsinki Stock Exchange in 2001. Estonia joined the World Trade Organization in 1999.
From the early 2000s to the latter part of that decade, the economy experienced considerable growth. In 2000, Estonian GDP grew by 6.4%. After accession to the European Union in 2004, double-digit growth was soon observed. GDP grew by 8% in 2007 alone. Increases in labor costs, the imposition of tax on tobacco, alcohol, electricity, fuel, gas, and other external pressures (growing prices of oil and food on the global market) inflated prices in 2009.[ citation needed ]
The financial crisis of 2007–2008 had a deep effect on the economy, primarily as a result of an investment and consumption slump, that followed the burst of the real estate market bubble that had been building up. In December 2008, Estonia became a donor country to the IMF-led rescue package for Latvia. In response to the crisis, the Ansip government opted for fiscal consolidation and retrenchment by maintaining fiscal discipline and a balanced budget in combination with austerity packages: The government increased taxes, and reduced public spending by slashing expenditures and public salaries across the board. [24]
After a long period of very high growth of GDP, the GDP of Estonia decreased. In the first quarter 2008, GDP grew only 0.1%, and then decreased: negative growth was −1.4% in the 2nd quarter, a little over −3% (on a year-to-year basis) in the 3rd quarter, and −9.4% in the 4th quarter of that year. [28]
The government made a supplementary negative budget, which was passed by the Riigikogu. The revenue of the budget was decreased for 2008 by EEK 6.1 billion and the expenditure by EEK 3.2 billion. [29] A current account-deficit was extant, but began to shrink in late 2008. In 2009, the economy further contracted by 15% in the first quarter. [28] Low domestic and foreign demand depressed the economy's overall output. [30] The economy's 34% industrial production drop was the sharpest decrease in industrial production in the European Union. [31] Estonia was one of the five worst-performing economies in the world in terms of annual growth, [32] and had one of the hightest rates of unemployment in the EU, which rose from 4% in May 2008 to 16% in May 2009. [33]
In July 2009, the value-added tax was increased from 18% to 20%. [34] The recorded budget deficit for 2009 was just 1.7% of GDP. [24] The result was, that Estonia was one of only five EU countries in 2009 that met the Maastricht criteria for debt and deficit, and had the third-lowest deficit after Luxembourg and Sweden; Estonia did not ask for support from the IMF. Despite the third-largest drop in GDP, the country had the lowest budget deficit and lowest public debt among Central and Eastern European countries. In 2009, the Estonian economy began to rebound, and economic growth resumed in the second half of 2010. The country's unemployment rate dropped significantly to pre-recession levels. [35] To top it off, Estonia was granted permission in 2010 to join the eurozone in 2011. [24]
Before joining the eurozone, the Estonian kroon had been pegged to the euro at a rate of 15.64664 EEK to one euro; before then, the kroon was pegged to the German mark at approximately 8 EEK to 1 DEM.
The design of Estonian euro coins was finalized in late 2004. [36] Estonia's journey towards the euro took longer than originally projected, owing to the inflation rate continually being above the required 3% before 2010, [37] which prevented the country from fulfilling the entry criteria. The country originally planned to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007 and officially changed its target date twice: first to 1 January 2008, and later to 1 January 2011. [25]
On 12 May 2010, the European Commission announced that Estonia had met all criteria to join the eurozone. [38] On 8 June 2010, EU finance ministers. [39] In July 2010, Estonia received the final approval from ECOFIN to adopt the euro onwards from 1 January 2011; on that date Estonia became the 17th eurozone member state and circulated alongside the kroon until 14 January 2011. [40] With that, Estonia became one of the first post-Soviet states to join the eurozone. [25]
In August 2011, Standard & Poor's raised Estonia's credit rating from A to AA-. Among various factors, S&P cited as contributing to its decision was confidence in Estonia's ability to "sustain strong economic growth." [41] Estonia's GDP growth rate in 2011 was above 8%, despite having negative population growth. [42] [43]
The Estonian economy was hit by the COVID-19 recession before bouncing back with an 8.6% rise in GDP in 2021, [44] this was followed by the economic effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulting in a fall in GDP of 1.3% in 2022 and high inflation which hit 24% [45] before falling to single digits in 2023.
"Since reestablishing independence, Estonia has styled itself as the gateway between East and West and pursued economic reform and integration with the West." [46] Estonia's market reforms put it among the economic leaders in the former COMECON area.[ citation needed ] A balanced budget, almost non-existent public debt, flat-rate income tax, free trade regime, adoption of the euro, competitive commercial banking sector, hospitable environment for foreign investment, innovative e-Services and mobile-based services are hallmarks of Estonia's free-market-based economy.[ citation needed ]
The privatisation of state-owned firms is virtually complete, with only the port and main power plants remaining in government hands.[ citation needed ] The constitution requires a balanced budget, [47] and the protection afforded by Estonia's intellectual property laws is similar to that of the EU. [48] [49] [50] Near-ideal conditions for the banking sector exist. Foreigners are not restricted from buying bank shares or acquiring majority holdings.[ citation needed ]
In 2013, the average monthly gross wage in Estonia was €980 (US$1,330). [51] This figure has grown consistently to €2,065 (US$2,217) as of December 2023. [52]
Estonia offers unique tax conditions for businesses, where the tax on undistributed profits is 0%. This allows companies that reinvest their profits into development to avoid tax obligations and allocate more funds for growth and expansion. [53] In 2024, Estonia holds the first place in the International Tax Competitiveness Index and on a permanent basis is taking top positions in the Economic Freedom Index (8th place) and in the Ease of Doing Business Index (18th place). [54]
In 2011, according to projections made by CEPII [55] by 2050, Estonia could become the most productive country in the EU, after Luxembourg, and so join the top five most productive nations in the world. [56]
According to the Ministry of Environment, Estonia committed to developing a circular economy strategic document and action plan by 2021. [57] [58] In March 2020, the Estonian Circular Economy Industries Association, specified that Estonia should consider the new European Green Deal and principles of circular economy when making investments to recover the economy after Covid. [59]
Estonia has around 600,000 employees, yet the country has a shortage of skilled labor, and since skill shortages are experienced everywhere in Europe, the government has increased working visa quota for non-EEA citizens, although it has nevertheless been criticized for being inadequate for addressing the shortages.
The late-2000s recession in the world, the near-concurrent local property bust with changes in Estonian legislation to increase labour market flexibility (making it easier for companies to lay off workers) saw Estonia's unemployment rate shoot up to 18.8% throughout the duration of the crisis, then stabilise to 13.8% by summer 2011, as the economy recovered on the basis of strong exports. Internal consumption, and therefore imports, plummeted; and cuts were made in public finances. [60] Some of the reduction in unemployment has been attributed to some Estonians' emigrating for employment to Finland, the UK, Australia, and elsewhere. [61]
After the recession, the unemployment rate went lower, and throughout 2015 and 2016, the rate stayed near the levels that preceded the economic downturn, staying at just above 6%. [62] In 2020-2023 the unemployment rate moved around between 5.2% and 7.7%. [63]
Tallinn has emerged as the country's financial center. According to Invest in Estonia, advantages of Estonian financial sector are unbureaucratic cooperation between companies and authorities, and relative abundance of educated people although young educated Estonians tend to emigrate to western Europe for greater income. The largest banks are Swedbank, SEB Pank, and Nordea. Several IPOs have been made recently on the Tallinn Stock Exchange, a member OMX system.
The Estonian service sector employs over 60% of workforce. Estonia has a strong information technology (IT) sector, partly due to the Tiigrihüpe project undertaken in mid-1990s, and has been mentioned as the most "wired" and advanced country in Europe in the terms of e-government. [64] [65]
Farming, which had been forcibly collectivized for decades until the transition era of 1990–1992, has become privatized and more efficient, and the total farming area has increased in the period following Estonia's restoration of independence. [66] The share of agriculture in the gross domestic product decreased from 15% to 3.3% during 1991–2000, while employment in agriculture decreased from 15% to 5.2%. [67]
The mining industry makes up 1% of the GDP. Mined commodities include oil shale, peat, and industrial minerals, such as clays, limestone, sand and gravel. [68] Soviets created badly polluting industry in the early 1950s, concentrated in the north-east of the country. Socialist economy and military areas left the country highly polluted, and mainly because of oil shale industry in Ida-Virumaa, sulfur dioxide emissions per person are almost as high as in the Czech Republic. The coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations, mainly the east. The government is looking for ways to reduce pollution further. [69] In 2000, the emissions were 80% smaller than in 1980, and the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies was 95% smaller than in 1980. [70]
Estonian productivity is experiencing rapid growth, and consequently wages are also rising quickly, with a rise in private consumption of about 8% in 2005. According to Estonian Institute of Economic Research, the largest contributors to GDP growth in 2005 were processing industry, financial intermediation, retailing and wholesale trade, transport and communications. [71]
Estonia produced in 2018:
In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products. [72]
Largest companies by revenue
| Largest companies by profit
|
In 2022, the sector with the highest number of companies registered in Estonia is Services with 144,514 companies followed by Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate and Retail Trade with 47,001 and 26,635 companies respectively. [74]
Railway transport dominates the cargo sector, comprising 70% of all carried goods, domestic and international. Road transport is the one that prevails in the passenger sector, accounting for over 90% of all transported passengers. 5 major cargo ports offer easy navigational access, deep waters, and good ice conditions. There are 12 airports and 1 heliport in Estonia. Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is the largest airport in Estonia, with 1,73 million passengers and 22,764 tons of cargo (annual cargo growth 119.7%) in 2007. International flight companies such as SAS, Finnair, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and Nordic Aviation Group provide direct flights to 27 destinations. [75]
Approximately 7.5% of the country's workforce is employed in transportation and the sector contributes over 10% of GDP. Estonia is getting much business from traffic between European Union and Russia, especially oil cargo through Estonian ports. Transit trade's share of GDP is disputed, but many agree that Russia's increased hostility is decreasing the share. [76] [77]
Instead of coal, electricity is generated by burning oil shale, with largest stations in Narva. Oil shale supplies around 70% of the country's primary energy. Other energy sources are natural gas imported from Russia, wood, motor fuels, and fuel oils. [78]
Wind power in Estonia amounts to 58.1 megawatts, whilst roughly 399 megawatts worth of projects are currently being developed. Estonian energy liberalization is lagging far behind the Nordic energy market. During the accession negotiations with the EU, Estonia agreed that at least 35% of the market are opened before 2009 and all of non-household market, which totals around 77% of consumption, before 2013. Estonia is concerned that Russia could use energy markets to bully it. [79] In 2009, the government considered granting permits to nuclear power companies, and there were plans for a shared nuclear facility with Latvia and Lithuania. [80] Those plans were shelved after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Estonia has high Internet penetration, and connections are available throughout most of the country.
Country | Export | Import |
---|---|---|
Finland | 17% | 15% |
Latvia | 12% | 11% |
Sweden | 9% | 8% |
Lithuania | 8% | 10% |
Germany | 7% | 12% |
Netherlands | 4% | 6% |
Estonia exports electrical equipment (14% of all exports annually), wood and wooden articles (11% of all exports annually), food and agricultural products (11% of all exports annually), mineral products (10% of all exports annually), and transport equipment (10% of all exports annually). Estonia imports electrical and transport equipment (26% of all imports annually, 13% each), mineral products (12% of all imports annually), food and agricultural products (11% of all imports annually), machinery and mechanical appliances (10% of all imports annually). [81]
Resource | Location | Reserves |
---|---|---|
Oil shale | north-east | 1,137,700,000 mln t |
Sea mud (medical) | south | 1,356,400,000 mln t |
Construction sand | across the country | 166,700,000 mln m3 |
Construction gravel | north | 32,800,000 mln m3 |
Lake mud (medical) | across the country | 1,133,300 mln t |
Lake mud (fertilizer) | east | 170,900 t |
Ceramic clay | across the country | 10,600,000 mln m3 |
Ceramsid clay (for gravel) | across the country | 2,600,000 mln m3 |
Technological dolomite | west | 16,600,000 mln m3 |
Technological limestone | north | 13,800,000 mln m3 |
Decoration dolomite | west | 2,900,000 mln m3 |
Construction dolomite | west | 32,900,000 mln m3 |
Blue clay | across the country | 2,044,000 mln t |
Granite | across the country | 1,245,100,000 mln m3 |
Peat | across the country | 230,300,000 mln t |
Construction limestone | north | 110,300,000 mln m3 |
Limestone cement | north | 9,400,000 mln m3 |
Clay cement | north | 15,6000,000 mln m3 |
Graptolitic argillite [82] | north | 64,000,000,000 mln t |
Wood | across the country | 15,6000,000 mln m3 |
Technological sand | north | 3,300,000 mln m3 |
Lake lime | north and south | 808,000 t |
Phosphorite | north | over 350,000,000 mln t (estimated) |
Subsoil | across the country | 21,1 km3 |
The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1993–2018. [83]
Year | GDP (in Bil. US$ PPP) | GDP per capita (in US$ PPP) | GDP (in Bil. US$ nominal) | GDP growth (real) | Inflation rate (in Percent) | Unemployment (in Percent) | Government debt (in % of GDP) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | 11.2 | 7,338 | 1.8 | n/a | 6.5% | n/a | |
1994 | 11.3 | 2.5 | n/a | ||||
1995 | 11.7 | 8,022 | 3.9 | 2.2% | 29.0% | 9.6% | 9% |
1996 | 12.5 | 4.8 | |||||
1997 | 14.4 | 5.2 | |||||
1998 | 15.2 | 5.6 | |||||
1999 | 15.3 | 5.7 | |||||
2000 | 17.3 | 12,113 | 5.7 | 10.6% | 3.9% | 14.6% | 5% |
2001 | 18.8 | 6.3 | |||||
2002 | 20.3 | 7.4 | |||||
2003 | 22.3 | 9.9 | |||||
2004 | 24.5 | 12.2 | |||||
2005 | 27.7 | 19,765 | 14.1 | 9.4% | 4.1% | 8.0% | 5% |
2006 | 31.3 | 22,600 | 17.1 | 10.3% | 4.4% | 5.9% | 4% |
2007 | 34.6 | 25,144 | 22.5 | 7.7% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 4% |
2008 | 33.4 | 24,328 | 24.4 | −5.4% | 10.6% | 5.5% | 4% |
2009 | 28.7 | 20,946 | 19.7 | −14.7% | 0.2% | 13.5% | 7% |
2010 | 29.8 | 21,721 | 19.6 | 2.3% | 2.7% | 16.7% | 7% |
2011 | 32.6 | 23,919 | 23.2 | 7.6% | 5.1% | 13.2% | 6% |
2012 | 34.4 | 25,494 | 23.0 | 4.3% | 4.2% | 10.0% | 10% |
2013 | 36.2 | 26,508 | 25.1 | 1.9% | 3.2% | 8.6% | 10% |
2014 | 38.1 | 27,856 | 26.6 | 2.9% | 0.5% | 7.4% | 11% |
2015 | 38.4 | 28,685 | 22.9 | 1.7% | 0.1% | 6.2% | 10% |
2016 | 41.2 | 29,684 | 24.1 | 2.1% | 0.9% | 6.8% | 9% |
2017 | 44.7 | 31,750 | 26.9 | 4.9% | 3.7% | 5.8% | 9% |
2018 | 47.5 | 30.6 | |||||
2019 | 50.3 | 31.3 |
Gross domestic product by country [84]
GDP per capita, euros | |
---|---|
County | 2020 |
Whole country | 20184 |
Harju county | 28927 |
..Tallinn | 33563 |
Hiiu county | 8072 |
Ida-Viru county | 11665 |
Jõgeva county | 9294 |
Järva county | 12609 |
Lääne county | 10313 |
Lääne-Viru county | 12966 |
Põlva county | 7757 |
Pärnu county | 11883 |
Rapla county | 9540 |
Saare county | 11712 |
Tartu county | 19280 |
..Tartu city | 22326 |
Valga county | 7981 |
Viljandi county | 12387 |
Võru county | 8496 |
The economy of Bulgaria functions on the principles of the free market, having a large private sector and a smaller public one. Bulgaria is a developing, industrialised high-income country according to the World Bank, and is a member of the European Union (EU), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). The Bulgarian economy has experienced significant growth (538%), starting from $13.15 billion and reaching estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of $107 billion or $229 billion, GDP per capita of $36,000, average gross monthly salary of 2,310 leva, and average net monthly salary of $2,191. The national currency is the lev, pegged to the euro at 1.95583 leva for 1 euro. The lev is the strongest and most stable currency in Eastern Europe.
The economy of Croatia is a developed mixed economy. It is one of the largest economies in Southeast Europe by nominal gross domestic product (GDP). It is an open economy with accommodative foreign policy, highly dependent on international trade in Europe. Within Croatia, economic development varies among its counties, with strongest growth in Central Croatia and its financial centre, Zagreb. It has a very high level of human development, low levels of income inequality, and a high quality of life. Croatia's labor market has been perennially inefficient, with inconsistent business standards as well as ineffective corporate and income tax policy.
The economy of Denmark is a modern high-income and highly developed mixed economy. The economy of Denmark is dominated by the service sector with 80% of all jobs, whereas about 11% of all employees work in manufacturing and 2% in agriculture. The nominal Gross National Income per capita was the ninth-highest in the world at $68,827 in 2023.
The economy of Greece is the 52nd largest in the world, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $252.732 billion per annum. In terms of purchasing power parity, Greece is the world's 54th largest economy, at $436.757 billion per annum. As of 2023, Greece is the sixteenth largest economy in the European Union and eleventh largest in the eurozone. According to the International Monetary Fund's figures for 2024, Greece's GDP per capita is $24,342 at nominal value and $42,066 at purchasing power parity. Among OECD nations, Greece has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 24.1% of GDP.
The economy of Latvia is an open economy in Europe and is part of the European Single Market. Latvia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1999, a member of the European Union since 2004, a member of the Eurozone since 2014 and a member of the OECD since 2016. Latvia is ranked the 14th in the world by the Ease of Doing Business Index prepared by the World Bank Group. According to the Human Development Report 2023/24 by the United Nations Development Programme, has a HDI score of a 0.879. Due to its geographical location, transit services are highly developed, along with timber and wood processing, agriculture and food products, and manufacturing of machinery and electronic devices.
The economy of Malta is a highly industrialised service-based economy. It is classified as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund and is considered a high-income country by the World Bank and an innovation-driven economy by the World Economic Forum. It is a member of the European Union and of the eurozone, having formally adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.
The economy of Poland is an emerging and developing, high-income, industrialized, mixed economy that serves as the sixth-largest in the European Union by nominal GDP and fifth-largest by GDP (PPP). Poland boasts the extensive public services characteristic of most developed economies and is one of few countries in Europe to provide no tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate education and with universal public healthcare that is free at a point of use. Since 1988, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalisation but retained an advanced public welfare system. It ranks 20th worldwide in terms of GDP (PPP), 21st in terms of GDP (nominal), and 21st in the 2023 Economic Complexity Index. Among OECD nations, Poland has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 22.7% of GDP.
The economy of Romania is a developing high-income mixed economy, with a high degree of complexity. It ranks 12th in the European Union by total nominal GDP and 7th largest when adjusted by purchasing power (PPP). The World Bank notes that Romania's efforts are focused on accelerating structural reforms and strengthening institutions in order to further converge with the European Union. The country's economic growth has been one of the highest in the EU since 2010, with 2022 seeing a better-than-expected 4.8% increase.
The economy of Slovakia is based upon Slovakia becoming an EU member state in 2004, and adopting the euro at the beginning of 2009. Its capital, Bratislava, is the largest financial centre in Slovakia. As of Q1 2018, the unemployment rate was 5.72%.
The economy of Slovenia is a developed mixed economy. The country enjoys a high level of prosperity and stability as well as above-average GDP per capita by purchasing power parity at 91% of the EU average in 2023. The nominal GDP in 2023 is 68.108 billion USD, nominal GDP per capita (GDP/pc) in 2023 is USD 32,350. The highest GDP/pc is in central Slovenia, where the capital city Ljubljana is located. It is part of the Western Slovenia statistical region, which has a higher GDP/pc than eastern Slovenia.
The economy of Spain is a highly developed social market economy. It is the world's 15th largest by nominal GDP and the sixth-largest in Europe. Spain is a member of the European Union and the eurozone, as well as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization. In 2023, Spain was the 18th-largest exporter in the world. Meanwhile, in 2022, Spain was the 15th-largest importer in the world. Spain is listed 27th in the United Nations Human Development Index and 36th in GDP per capita by the World Bank. Some main areas of economic activity are the automotive industry, medical technology, chemicals, shipbuilding, tourism and the textile industry. Among OECD members, Spain has a highly efficient and strong social security system, which comprises roughly 23% of GDP.
The economy of Austria is a highly developed social market economy, with the country being one of the fourteen richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita. Until the 1980s, many of Austria's largest industry firms were nationalised. In recent years, privatisation has reduced state holdings to a level comparable to other European economies. Among OECD nations, Austria has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 29.4% of GDP.
The euro area, commonly called the eurozone (EZ), is a currency union of 20 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (€) as their primary currency and sole legal tender, and have thus fully implemented EMU policies.
Baltic Tiger is a term used to refer to any of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania during their periods of economic boom, which started after the year 2000 and continued until 2006–2007. The term is modeled on Four Asian Tigers, Tatra Tiger, and Celtic Tiger, which were used to describe the economic boom periods in East Asia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ireland, respectively.
The economy of the European Union is the joint economy of the member states of the European Union (EU). It is the second largest economy in the world in nominal terms, after the United States, and the third largest at purchasing power parity (PPP), after China and the US. The European Union's GDP is estimated to be $19.40 trillion (nominal) in 2024 or $28.04 trillion (PPP), representing around one-sixth of the global economy. Germany has the biggest national GDP of all EU countries, followed by France and Italy. In 2022, the social welfare expenditure of the European Union (EU) as a whole was 27.2% of its GDP.
The economy of the Republic of Ireland is a highly developed knowledge economy, focused on services in high-tech, life sciences, financial services and agribusiness, including agrifood. Ireland is an open economy, and ranks first for high-value foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. In the global GDP per capita tables, Ireland ranks 2nd of 192 in the IMF table and 4th of 187 in the World Bank ranking.
The economy of Sweden is a highly developed export-oriented economy, aided by timber, hydropower, and iron ore. These constitute the resource base of an economy oriented toward foreign trade. The main industries include motor vehicles, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, industrial machines, precision equipment, chemical goods, home goods and appliances, forestry, iron, and steel. Traditionally, Sweden relied on a modern agricultural economy that employed over half the domestic workforce. Today Sweden further develops engineering, mine, steel, and pulp industries, which are competitive internationally, as evidenced by companies such as Ericsson, ASEA/ABB, SKF, Alfa Laval, AGA, and Dyno Nobel.
The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, was a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone member states were unable to repay or refinance their government debt or to bail out over-indebted banks under their national supervision without the assistance of other eurozone countries, the European Central Bank (ECB), or the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Greece faced a sovereign debt crisis in the aftermath of the 2007–2008 financial crisis. Widely known in the country as The Crisis, it reached the populace as a series of sudden reforms and austerity measures that led to impoverishment and loss of income and property, as well as a humanitarian crisis. In all, the Greek economy suffered the longest recession of any advanced mixed economy to date and became the first developed country whose stock market was downgraded to that of an emerging market in 2013. As a result, the Greek political system was upended, social exclusion increased, and hundreds of thousands of well-educated Greeks left the country.
The Baltic states' housing bubble was an economic bubble involving major cities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three Baltic countries had enjoyed a relatively strong economic growth between 2000 and 2006, and the real estate sectors had performed well since 2000. In fact, in between 2005Q1 and 2007Q1, the official house price index for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania recorded a sharp jump of 104.6%, 134.3% and 106.7%. By comparison, the official house price index for Euro Area increased by 11.8% for a similar time period.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Estonia's credit rating was raised by Standard & Poor's Ratings to the second-highest level in eastern Europe on the Baltic country's strong economic growth and solid public finances.