Finland, Economy

World War II left Finland with towering economic problems, including high inflation, unemployment, and an unfavorable balance of trade. Since then the industrial sector has expanded—by the late 1960s more persons were employed in manufacturing than in both agriculture and forestry—and the trade balance has improved. Except for public utilities, industry and business are privately owned. The government, however, exercises considerable control over the economy by means of numerous regulations. The national budget in 1998 anticipated $41.3 billion in revenues and $43.1 billion in expenses. Finland’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2000 was $121.5 billion.