Country Summary
Introduction
Background
Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union on 21 September 1991. Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century).
Geography
Area
total: 29,743 sq km
land: 28,203 sq km
water: 1,540 sq km
Climate
highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
Natural resources
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
People and Society
Population
3,000,756 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.2%, other 0.7% (2011 est.)
Languages
Armenian (official) 97.9%, Kurmanji (spoken by Yezidi minority) 1%, other 1.1%; note - Russian is widely spoken (2011 est.)
Religions
Armenian Apostolic 92.6%, Evangelical 1%, other 2.4%, none 1.1%, unspecified 2.9% (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.38% (2022 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary democracy; note - constitutional changes adopted in December 2015 transformed the government to a parliamentary system
Capital
name: Yerevan
Executive branch
chief of state: President Vahagn KHACHATURYAN (since 13 March 2022)
head of government: Prime Minister Nikol PASHINYAN (since 10 September 2021); Deputy Prime Ministers Mher GRIGORYAN (since 3 August 2021) and Hambardzum MATEVOSYAN (since 25 November 2021); note - Prime Minister Nikol PASHINYAN resigned on 25 April 2021; he was reappointed by the president on 2 August 2021 and sworn in on 10 September 2021
Legislative branch
description: unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (minimum 101 seats, with additional seats allocated as necessary and generally changing with each parliamentary convocation; current - 107; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms; four mandates are reserved for national minorities; no more than 70% of the top membership of a party list can belong to the same sex; political parties must meet a 5% threshold and alliances a 7% threshold to win seats; at least three parties must be seated in the parliament)
Economy
Economic overview
EEU-and CIS-member state but seeking more EU and US trade; business-friendly growth environments; stable monetary regime but vulnerable demand economy; key copper and gold exporter; persistent unemployment; large diaspora and remittances
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$37.31 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$12,600 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
milk, potatoes, grapes, vegetables, tomatoes, watermelons, wheat, apples, cabbages, barley
Industries
brandy, mining, diamond processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging and pressing machines, electric motors, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry, software, food processing
Exports
$3.82 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
Russia 22%, Switzerland 20%, China 7%, Bulgaria 6%, Iraq 5%, Serbia 5%, Netherlands 5%, Germany 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
copper ore, gold, tobacco, liquors, iron alloys (2019)
Imports
$5 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
Russia 29%, China 10%, Georgia 8%, Iran 6%, Turkey 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
natural gas, cars, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, diamonds (2019)
Exchange rates
drams (AMD) per US dollar -
Page last updated: Thursday, December 15, 2022
