Economy of Russia

The economy of Russia is the ninth largest economy in the world by nominal value and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Russian economy is today considered by IMF and World Bank a developing one. Russia has an abundance of natural gas, oil, coal, and precious metals. Russia has undergone significant changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moving from a centrally planned economy to a more market-based and globally integrated economy. Economic reforms in the 1990s privatized many sectors of the industry and agriculture, with notable exceptions in the energy and defense-related sectors. Nonetheless, the rapid privatization process, including a much criticized "loans-for-shares" scheme that turned over major state-owned firms to politically connected "oligarchs", has left equity ownership highly concentrated. As of 2011, Russia's capital, Moscow, now has the highest billionaire population of any city in the world.

In late 2008 and early 2009, Russia experienced the first recession after 10 years of experiencing a rising economy, until the stable growth resumed in late 2009 and 2010. Despite the deep but brief recession, the economy has not been as seriously affected by the global financial crisis, largely because of the integration of short-term macroeconomic policies that helped the economy survive.

In 2011 Russia’s gross domestic product grew by 4.2 percent, the world’s third highest growth rate among leading economies. The government expects it to grow 3.7 percent in 2012. "Following a 4.2 percent growth in 2011, we think the slowdown will lead to GDP growth of about 3.5 percent for the full year," S&P Chief Economist for Europe Jean-Michel Six said in a statement. Russian GDP growth for the first half of 2012 was 4.4%. It slowed at 3.8% in the month of September.