Russia Business Directory

Any report about Russia’s economy will be valid for a limited period of time as the country is in a constant development. Therefore, as an introduction we will give you some key figures followed by the links to the websites with constantly updated information.

Russian economy is mainly based on natural resources which account for more than half of all country’s exports. For the last years Russia has been showing an impressive economic growth (in average 6,5% per year) mostly due to the extensive exports of raw resources and positive international conjuncture for oil prices.

For 2007, the growth will remain close to the levels of 2005-2006, primarily driven by growing consumption. However, in the years to come the growth rate is expected to slow down as Russia has reached the top of its oil and gas export capacity as well as the rouble has strengthened considerably.

One of the main tasks of the present Russian government is the diversification of the economy and modernization of the production capacities which requires solid investments.

As of 2006, Russia was on the 57th place by GDP per capita (International Monetary Fund) with $11904, which is four times less than that of Norway.

Key data
Population 142,0 mill ((May 2006)
Labour force (economically active population) – 52%
Unemployment rate (May 2006) – 6,9%
Inflation (2006) – 9%

General information

Ministry for Economic Development and Trade of Russia – probably the best website of a Russian governmental body ever made in English language, with weekly updated reports about Russian economy, documents and presentations which are also available for download (eng/rus)

Russia on the website of World Bank – updated key economic indicators, reports and outlook (eng)

Economist about Russia – search for Russia related articles in online edition of Economist, partly with required subscription (eng). For the newest collection of articles, update the search.

Russia and WTO
Russia and WTO – regular updates on the negotiations process on the website of the WTO Information Office (eng)  

Russia’s accession to WTO – WTO’s official website giving information about Russia’s accession (eng)

WTO Web Page on Russia's Accession is a sticking point in international politics. Supporters point out that Russia represents a large and growing market for international trade and that the WTO can help Russia regulate its economy (eng/rus)