ArmInfo.In Armenia, economic activity in January 2021 to January 2020 decreased by 7.5%, but only in January this year. decreased by 47%, against last year's annual growth of 8.9% and a decline of 47.8% in January. According to the final data of the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, the annual decline was provoked by all spheres, except for the energy complex and the sphere of construction.
On an annualized basis (January 2021 to January 2020), the largest decline was observed in the trade sector - 15.1%, followed by industry - 10.8%, the service sector - 10.3%, and 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), all spheres showed growth: the energy complex - 18.7%, industry - 13.4%, the service sector - 13.2%, the trade sector - 10.3%, the construction sector - 7.7 %. In January 2021, growth was observed only in the energy complex - 1.3%, and other spheres 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 by 1.1% in January 2021, with an annual growth of 5.5%. A year earlier, in January 2020, the industrial product price index increased by 1.1%, with an annual 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 occupied by the construction sector with a volume of 12.6 billion. drams ($ 24.1 million). The volume of electricity generation amounted to 742.4 million kWh in January 2021.
At the same time, Armenia's foreign trade turnover in January 2021 amounted to 210.6 billion drams ($ 403.9 million) with an annual decline of 16.8%. In its structure, the volume of exports underwent an annual decline by 11.3% to 81.6 billion drams ($ 156.6 million), with a more noticeable 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 only in January 2020, a 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, against 479.21 AMD / $ 1 in January 2020.