ArmInfo.Armenia's GDP grew by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter of 2019, and by 6.5% year-on-year, against the 7.2% y-o-y growth in the same period of 2018. According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, in the first half of 2019, GDP amounted to 2.7 trillion drams or $ 5.6 billion (against 2.5 trillion drams or $ 5.1 billion a year earlier). Of this amount, 56% or 1.5 trillion drams ($ 3.1 billion) were ensured in the II quarter of 2019. The GDP deflator index in the second quarter of 2019 amounted to 102.3%, against 104.4% in the second quarter of 2018.
In terms of valumes in the GDP the dominant sectors are the trade sector, the service sector and the industrial sector, which act as drivers for y-o-y growth, the service sector holds the lead. In particular, the service sector slowed down the y-o-y growth rate from 18.1% in the first half of 2018 to 15.3% in the first half of 2019, which was also observed in the trade sector - from 9.1% to 8.9%. And the industrial sector, on the contrary, accelerated growth from 3.7% to 6.9%. Against this background, the growth rate of the construction sector looked more modest - 4.7%. The energy complex and the agricultural sector were in decline - by 5.5% and 7.4% respectively, worsening the dynamics from last year's upward 1.5% and 5.5% respectively.
Armenia's GDP per capita in the second quarter of 2019 amounted to 500.3 thousand drams ($ 1,040 thousand), against 458.6 thousand drams ($ 950) in the second quarter of 2018. In the first half of 2019, per capita GDP amounted to 919.4 thousand drams ($ 1.9 thousand), against 832 thousand drams ($ 1.7 thousand) in the first half of 2018. The change in this indicator was recorded against the background of a decrease in the population by 0.3% per annum - up to 2961.6 thousand people by July 1, 2019, against a similar decrease a year earlier.
The average settlement rate of dram in the first half of 2019 amounted to 484.16 AMD / $ 1, against 482.04 AMD / $ 1 - in the first half of 2018.
According to the World Bank forecast, the GDP growth of Armenia in 2019 will amount to 4.2%, with an acceleration in 2020 to 4.9%. In terms of Armenia's foreign trade, the World Bank predicts growth for 2019, with exports accelerating to 8.8%, and imports slowing to 12.2%. According to the IMF forecast, the GDP growth of Armenia in 2019 will amount to 4.6% with a slowdown in 2020 to 4.5%. The Central Bank of Armenia predicted GDP growth in the range of 5.9-7.4% for 2019, while at the same time expecting growth in imports by 2-4% and exports by 4-6% in 2019. The state budget of the Republic of Armenia for 2019 contains a growth of GDP of 4.9%.