National Subsoil Expertise Association, Moscow, Russia:

V. S. Kozyrev, Subsoil Use Expert

Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Moscow, Russia:
A. V. Nechaev, Specialist-Expert, e-mail: a.necha@mail.ru

National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI” (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Moscow, Russia:
A. G. Vorobiev, Head of a Chair of Economics

This review was made using the data of the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS, national statistical services in the CIS countries, Bulletin of Foreign Commercial Information, industrial publications and websites of industrial manufacturers. In general, the CIS kept the positive dynamics of the main macroeconomic indicators in 2014, but, in comparison with 2012 and 2013, their growth rate has slowed, and, in some cases, has decreased. The growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was only 1% (2% in 2013), the volume of industrial production in the Commonwealth increased by 0.7% (0.5% in 2013), the gross agricultural production increased by 3.4% (7.0% in 2013), and investments in fixed capital decreased to 97.4%. The foregoing indicators can be significantly various in various CIS countries. The highest growth of the GDP (from 6% and above) in 2014 year on year was defined in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The GDP growth within 4.7–3.9% was defined in Moldova, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The GDP in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Russia was 2.8%, 1.6% and 0.6%, respectively. Ukrainian GDP decreased (up to 94.7% in the third quarter of 2014). Significant increase of industrial production was in 2014 in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Moldova (within 4.3–8%) and in Belarus, Armenia and Russia (by 1.7% and 2.7%). Industrial production in Kazakhstan was equal to 2013 data, while Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine showed the decrease of these indicators (~0.7%, 1.6% and 10%, respectively). Metal products are very significant in the foreign trade of the Commonwealth countries. The total volume of export supply of metal products (excluding raw materials and precious metals) in CIS countries was 68.6 bln. $ in 2014 (reduction by 2.3 bln. $, in comparison with 2013), while its import supply was 35.7 bln. $ (reduction by 5.3 bln $). The share of these supplies against a background of decrease of total foreign trade turnover is kept at the level of 9%. However, the export and import indicators of metal products in 2014 was decreased in most countries (especially in Kazakhstan and Ukraine). Considering the production of the basic nonferrous metals in CIS countries in 2014, there was defined the reduction of aluminum production by 10%, reduction of copper and nickel production in the range of 2–3% and increase of lead production. Global production includes the following indicators of CIS countries: near 20% of nickel, 9–10% of primary aluminum, 8% of refined copper, near 50% of spongy titanium and up to 10% of gold production. 

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2. Azerbaijan in figures. 2015. Baku : State statistical committee of Azerbaijan Republic, 2015.
3. Statistical yearbook of Azerbaijan. 2015. Baku : State statistical committee of Azerbaijan Republic, 2015.
4. Sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe polozhenie Respubliki Armeniya. Yanvar-dekabr 2014 goda (Socio-Economic Situation of RA, January-December 2014). Erevan : National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, 2015. (in Armenian, in Russian).
5. Statisticheskiy ezhegodnik Respubliki Belarus. 2015 (Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Belarus. 2015). Minsk : National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, 2015. (in Russian).
6. Respublika Kazakhstan. Predvaritelnye dannye za 2014 god (Republic of Kazakhstan. Preliminary data for 2014). Astana: Statistical committee of the Ministry of National Economy of Republic of Kazakhstan, 2015. (in Russian).
7. Kyrgyzstan v tsifrakh. 2015 (Kyrgyzstan in figures. 2015). Bishkek : National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2015. (in Russian).
8. Sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe polozhenie Respubliki Moldova v 2014 godu (Social and economic situation of the Republic of Moldova in 2014). Chiinu : National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova, 2015. (in Russian).
9. Rossiya v tsifrakh. 2015 (Russia in figures. 2015). Moscow : Russian Federation Federal State Statistics Service, 2015. (in Russian).
10. Sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe polozhenie Rossii v 2014 godu (Social and economic situation in Russia in 2014). Moscow : Russian Federation Federal State Statistics Service, 2015. (in Russian).
11. Sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe polozhenie Respubliki Tadzhikistan v 2014 godu (Social and economic situation in Republic of Tajikistan in 2014). Dushanbe : Agency on Statistics under President of the Republic of Tajikistan, 2015. (in Russian).
12. Sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe polozhenie Ukrainy v 2014 godu (Social-economic situation in Ukraine in 2014). Kiev : State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2015. (in Ukrainian).