DUSHANBE, February 5, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan stood in the third place among the CIS states in terms of the GDP growth rate in 2008, according to the CIS Interstate Committee for Statistics.

In Tajikistan, gross domestic product (GDP) rose 7.9 percent in the year to December 31, 2008.

In 2008, the highest GDP growth rate was reported in Azerbaijan – 10.8 percent, which is followed by Belarus, where GDP rose 10 percent in the year to December 31, 2008.

In Kyrgyzstan, 7.6-percent GDP growth was reported in 2008, Armenia – 6.8 percent, Russia – 5.6 percent.  The lowest GDO growth rate was reported in Ukraine – 2.1 percent

Within the whole CIS area, GDP rose on average 5 percent in the year to December 31, 2008, which is 3.5 percent lower than in 2007.