From: Statistical yearbook of Latvia, 2000, CSB, 2001

GDP (per capita, 1999) – 2689 EUR;
Average monthly salary (Last quarter of 2000) – 156.5 Lats = 279.7 EUR

As of 1999, the breakdown of added value by economic activity was: Industry – 25%, Wholesale and retail trade – 17.8%, Transport and communication – 16.3 %, Construction – 7.6%, Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing – 4.0 %,  leaving 29.3% for other activities.

In 1999 the export of goods from Latvia to EU countries 105% of the value in 1998, while, due to the crisis in Rusia  the export to CIS countries shrunk dramatically: the 1999 value is just 60% of the value in 1998. In 1999 the biggest amount of goods from Latvia were exported to Germany (170 million lats), UK (165), Sweden (107), Lithuania (75), Russian Federation (66), Denmark (61), Estonia (47) and Netherlands (35).    
The main goods exported in 1999 were wood and wood products (37%), textiles and textile articles (15%), products of chemical industries and mineral products (10%),    food and beverages (6 %). About 1/5 of export goods are products of machine-building and metalworking industries. As the influence of the economic crisis in Russia continues, the total export of goods in 1999 is slightly lower than in the first quarter of 1998, although the export to other countries has grown substantially. The external crisis has also caused an increase of unemployment, which grew from 7.6% in   1998 to 9.7 % in  1999.

A substantial source of income to the economy of Latvia are its important sea terminals in Riga, Ventspils and Liepāja through which transport of goods, mainly oil and oil by-products from Russia to Western European countries takes place. Services and tourism bring income to the budget as well.