On average between 1989 and 1994, output fell by more than 30 percent. Inflation, unemployment and social inequality rocketed as real wages plunged and Communist-era welfare systems disintegrated. In the Baltic states, the hit to the wage level in the 1990s was staggering. Wages fell by 60 percent in Estonia and 70 percent in Lithuania. For many millions, emigration was the best option, illegal if need be.
