Imports in this year's first nine months amounted to 73.6 billion kuna, up from 69.1 billion kuna in the first nine months of 2003.
The foreign trade deficit was 38.3 billion kuna, up 624 million kuna from January-September 2003.
Expressed in U.S. dollars, exports in this year's first nine months stood at $5.8 billion, imports were $12.1 billion, while the foreign trade deficit amounted to $6.3 billion.
The export-import ratio was 47.9 percent, up from the 43.6 percent recorded in January-September 2003, which means that in the first nine months of this year the foreign trade deficit went down 4.3 percent from the same time in 2003.
Industrial output in September 2004 went up three percent from September 2003, while in January-September 2004 it went up 3.5 percent from the same time last year.
Compared with the average monthly industrial output in 2003, the output in September 2004 was 8.2 percent higher.
The unemployment rate in September 2004 was 17.6 percent, down from the 18.3 percent recorded in September 2003.
The average net salary in August 2004 was 6.7 percent higher in nominal and 4.6 percent higher in real value than in August 2003.
Between January and August 2004 the average net monthly salary was 4,144 kuna, up six percent in nominal and 3.9 percent in real value from the same time last year.
(US$1 = 5.9 kuna)