In the outgoing year, Russia broke a number of records in the field of economics and finance. Here are some of the country’s main economic achievements for the year:

In 2018, the Central Bank of Russia acquired a record amount of gold—92.2 tons, coming out on top in the world in terms of purchases of yellow metal. The share of gold in international reserves reached 18%, and gold reserves exceeded 2 thousand tons, reports RIA Novosti. While stocking up with gold bars, the Central Bank simultaneously reduced investments in US government bonds. By June, the share of treasuries in Russian reserves did not exceed 10%, and now it is close to zero. The main reason for getting rid of this paper is the increasing sanctions pressure from Washington.

It is noteworthy that by the end of the year the Russian budget will be executed with a surplus—for the first time in the last seven years. According to the forecasts of the Ministry of Finance, the surplus will be 2.5% of GDP, while in 2017 the budget was in deficit— expenses exceeded revenues by 1.4% of GDP. Russia’s total foreign debt also remains one of the lowest in the world, totaling $ 525 billion. For comparison: in the UK this figure is $ 7.5 trillion, in France—$ 5 trillion, in Germany—4.8 trillion. Across the eurozone—14 trillion, and the United States—more than 21 trillion dollars.

Also in 2018, Russia set an absolute record for oil production. In October, the figure reached 11.6 million barrels of black gold per day. By the end of the year, the volume of pipeline gas exports to Europe will exceed 200 billion cubic metres.

In addition to hydrocarbons, Russia exported record volumes of grain in 2018. Buyers are more than a hundred countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Nigeria.

At the same time, in the ranking of developing economies by Bloomberg, Russia has risen from seventh to second place. The growth of the Russian economy was also noted by World Bank experts: in the Doing Business ranking, the country rose from 35th to 31st place in a year, although in 2012 it was only 120th.

Meanwhile, the Russians in 2018 took a record number of mortgage loans. According to experts of the Dom.rf group, for 10 months of 2018 1.17 million loans were issued for 2.37 trillion rubles. The growth in lending for the purchase of housing contributed to a significant reduction in interest rates.

Finally, the outgoing year was a record one for the Russian tourist market: 90 million tourists. This is the highest figure in the last 10 years.