According to the preliminary data, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices in the third quarter of 2010 amounted to 19,403 million leva, the National Statistical Institute said on Thursday. The GDP per capita amounted to 2,581.2 leva.

The GDP for the first nine months of 2010 amounted to 50,664 million leva. Gross value added (GVA) at current prices in the third quarter of 2010 amounted to 16,480.6 million leva. As compared with the third quarter of 2009 the industrial sector decreased its share in the gross value added in the economy by 1.7 percentage points to 29.4% in the third quarter of 2010. The share of services was 60.1 per cent, up by 0.5 percentage points as compared with the respective period of the previous year. The share of agricultural sector increased by 1.2 percentage points to 10.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2010.

In the third quarter of 2010 the individual consumption constituted 61.9 per cent of GDP in the economy. Investments (gross fixed capital formation) accounted for 18.6 per cent of GDP. The external balance (exports-imports) was positive amounting to 2,376.7 million leva and accounted for 12.2 per cent in GDP.

GDP for the first nine months of 2010 decreased by 0.2 per cent over the same period of the previous year. Quarter-on-quarter growth rates In the third quarter of 2010 gross value added of the total economy decreased by 0.4 per cent, compared to second quarter of the year. In final use components, exports of goods and services increased by 8.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2010 compared to second quarter. Final consumption expenditure and gross capital formation continued to decrease by 2.7 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively. Imports of goods and services decreased by 1.3 per cent.

During the third quarter of 2010 gross value added remained unchanged compared to same quarter of previous year. The indicator's movement was determined by the increase recorded in the agricultural sector and declined in industrial sector (1.3%) and services (1.4%).

As regards the expenditure component of GDP, a major contributor to registered positive economic growth of 0.5 per cnet was the exports of goods and services, which increased by 18.5 per cent. Imports of goods and services also increased by 3.0 per cnet. The remaining components of GDP by expenditure approach recorded a decline. The most significant decrease was recorded in collective consumption by 7.8 per cent, followed by individual consumption, whose decline was 5.9 per cent.

Source: BTA