ArmInfo. In Armenia, economic activity in January 2021 against January 2020 decreased by 7.5%, but in January alone this year decreased by 47%, against last year's y-o-y growth by 8.9% and the January decline by 47.8%. According to the preliminary data of the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, the y-o-y growth was provoked by all fields, except for the energy complex and construction.
In y-o-y terms (January 2021 versus January 2020), the largest decline was observed in the trade sector - 15.1%, followed by industry - 10.8%, the service sector - 10.3%, while the construction sector continued to grow - 0.8% and the energy complex - 2.2%. The data for the agricultural sector has not been published. A year earlier (January 2020 to January 2019), growth was demonstrated by all sectors: energy complex - 18.7%, industry - 13.4%, service sector - 13.2%, trade sector - 10.3%, construction sector - 7.7 %.
In January 2021, growth was observed only in the energy complex - 1.3%, and the rest of the sectors were in decline: the construction sector - by 86.3%, trade - by 46.7%, the industrial sector - by 42.9%, the service sector - by 19.8%, against the downtrend in January 2020 in these industries, respectively 5.1%, 86.8%, 47.3%, 42.6% and 29%.
According to statistics, the industrial product price index increased in January 2021 by 1.1%, with a y-o-y growth of 5.5%. A year earlier, in January 2020, the industrial product price index increased by 1.1%, with a y-o-y growth of 2.8%.
In January 2021, the absolute leadership is held by the trade sector with a volume of 186.9 billion drams ($ 358.7 million). The industrial sector with a volume of 137.3 billion ($ 263.5 million) moved up to the second place, shifting to the third service sector - 129.8 billion drams ($ 249 million), and the fourth, due to the lack of data from the agricultural sector traditionally occupying this position, was the construction sector with a volume of 12.6 billion drams ($ 24.1 million). The volume of electricity generation in January 2021 amounted to 742.4 million kWh.
At the same time, Armenia's foreign trade turnover in January 2021 amounted to 210.6 billion drams ($ 403.9 million) with a y-o-y decline of 16.8%. In its structure, the volume of exports underwent an annual decline of 11.3% to 81.6 billion drams ($ 156.6 million), with a more tangible decline in imports - by 20% to 129 billion drams ($ 247.3 million). In January 2021 alone, foreign trade turnover decreased by 46% due to a drop in imports by 49.4% and exports by 39.5%. A year earlier, in January 2020, foreign trade turnover underwent an annual growth of 8.2% due to an increase in exports by 20.4% and imports by 2.2%, and in January 2020 alone the decline in exports and imports by 26.2% and 54, 8%, respectively, led to a decrease in foreign trade turnover by 47.4%.
The average calculated exchange rate of the dram was 521.20 AMD / $ 1 in January 2021, versus 479.21 AMD / $ 1 - in January 2020.