Soviet national income and product, 1956-1958.

Estimates of the national income and product of the USSR at current actual prices for 1956-1958, and at current adjusted prices (ruble factor cost) for 1949-1958. Over the period 1956-1958, the share of gross investment rose from 26 to 28 percent (or from 30 to 32 percent at adjusted prices), while the share going to consumption remained constant at about 56 percent (50 percent at adjusted prices). Per capita consumption, roughly deflated to constant prices, increased at an average rate of 6 percent a year, compared with 9 percent for 1953-1955. The share of outlays explicitly designated to defense declined from 7.3 to 5.9 percent of total gross national product (or from 8.5 to 6.8 percent at adjusted prices). Since, however, the prices of military goods may have fallen signigicantly (unlike the prices of civilian goods and services, which were comparatively stable), real defense outlays probably increased rather than declined.