Statistical data

In February 2025, the total production index in Services of the business economy decreased by 1.6% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

Compared to February 2024, a rise of 5.6% was registered in the calendar-adjusted index according to preliminary data.

As of 31 December 2024, the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is administratively divided into 28 administrative districts and 265 municipalities, within which there are 3 041 individual mayoralties. The total number of settlements is 5 256, of which 257 towns and 4 999 villages, while the settlement formations are 166 (including 8 of national and 158 of local importance). The largest municipalities with population above 100 000 inhabitants are eight - Stolichna, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Ruse, Sliven and Pleven. The share of the population in these eight municipalities represents 41.1% of the total country’s population. In the cities with population of over 100 000 people, lives 35.5% of the country’s population. Their number remains the same as in 2023, but Stara Zagora surpasses Ruse and becomes the fifth largest city in the country. There are 199 settlements without population. The highest number of settlements without population is in the districts of Veliko Tarnovo (66), Gabrovo (64), Kyustendil (10), Kardzhali (9) and Sofia (9).

The number of newly built residential buildings in 2024 was 5 201, and the newly built dwellings in them were 20 998.

75.8% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 20.1% had solid structure, 3.6% had ‘other’ and 0.4% had panel construction.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (37.5%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (32.8%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with five rooms (5.4%).

The total useful space of newly built dwellings in 2024 is 2 025.0 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space is 1 538.4 thousand sq. meters.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Short-term statistics on residential buildings'.

For March 2025, the reported revenues of sub-sector ‘Central Government’ were in the amount of BGN 4 085.44 million and the expenditures were in the amount of BGN 5 208.60 million, and for the sub-sector ‘Social Security Funds’ the revenues amounted to BGN 2 836.41 million and the expenditures were BGN 2 920.92 million.

The data for the ‘Central Government’ sub-sector are formed on the basis of the monthly cash statements of the budget units, as well as on estimates of the state enterprises reclassified in the sub-sector, and the data for the ‘Social Security Funds’ sub-sector - on the basis of the monthly cash statements of the National Insurance Institute and the National Health Insurance Fund.

The information is published on the basis of Article 3 (2) of Directive 2011/85 of the EU.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Government Finance Statistics'.

In the first quarter of 2025, the municipal authorities issued building permits for the construction of 2 084 residential buildings with 10 576 dwellings, 12 administrative buildings/offices and 1 080 other buildings.

Compared to the first quarter of 2024 the issued building permits for new residential buildings increase by 14.3%. The issued building permits for administrative buildings and other buildings have shown a decrease by 55.6% and 1.3%, respectively.

The construction of 1 431 residential buildings with 6 090 dwellings, 12 administrative buildings/offices and 576 other buildings has started.

As compared to the first quarter of 2024, the number of started new residential buildings increased by 3.0%, for administrative buildings - by 100.0%, and for other buildings - by 4.7%.

In April 2025, the total business climate indicator increases by 1.1 percentage points compared to the previous month. An improvement of the indicator is registered in the industry, while in the construction and service sector, a reduction is observed. Only in the retail trade, the indicator preserves its March level.

The main factors, limiting the activity of the enterprises remain the uncertain economic environment, shortage of labour, costs of materials and the competition in the branch.

The Total Producer Price Index in Industry fell by 0.5% in March 2025 compared to the previous month. A decrease of 1.6% was registered in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and in the manufacturing industry - by 0.5%. An increase was observed in the mining and quarrying industry - by 7.6%.

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market decreased by 1.0% in March 2025 compared to February 2025. The domestic prices fell in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 2.6%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 0.3%, while in the mining and quarrying industry was reported an increase by 7.1%.

The Total Producer Price Index went up by 17.4% in March 2025 compared to the same month in 2024. An increase was observed in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 53.1%, in the mining and quarrying industry - by 32.4%, as well as in the manufacturing industry - by 10.7%.

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market grew by 22.0% compared to March 2024. The prices rose in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 59.9%, in the mining and quarrying industry - by 26.9%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 11.3%.

In 2023, the total environmental tax revenue in Bulgaria amounted to 6 212.14 million BGN (a 22% decrease compared to 2022 when it was 8 009.31 million BGN). The value represented 3.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 11.2% of the total government revenues from taxes and social contributions in Bulgaria.

Energy taxes had the largest relative share of the total environmental tax revenues for 2023 - 92.1% (5 720.44 million BGN). The share of transport taxes from the total environmental tax revenues for 2023 was 6.9% (430.89 million BGN), and the share of taxes on pollution and resources had the smallest relative share - 1% (60.81 million BGN).

In 2023, most of the environmental taxes were paid by the corporations sector - 4 806.77 million BGN, or 77.4% of the country’s total revenues from environmental taxes. The largest share had the industry sector - 2 578.65 million BGN or 41.5% of the total revenues from environmental taxes. On second place was the services sector - 2 092.55 million BGN (33.7%), and on third the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector - 135.57 million BGN (2.2%).

The environmental taxes paid by households in 2023 amounted to 1 249.33 million BGN, or 20.1% of the total revenues from environmental taxes. The environmental taxes paid by the non-residents sector (‘Rest of the World’) amounted to 156.04 million BGN in 2023, or 2.5% of the total paid environmental taxes.

Detailed data on revenues from the four categories of environmental taxes (energy, transport, pollution and resource taxes), distributed by economic activities, households and non-residents, can be found on the website of NSI in the section Environmental taxes.

As of December 31, 2024, the population of Bulgaria was 6 437 360 persons. Compared to 2023, the country’s population had decreased by 8 121 persons, or by 0.13%. There were 53 727 children born in 2024, of which 53 428 (99.4%) - live-born. The number of live births decreased by 3 769 children, or 6.6% compared to the previous year. The number of deaths in 2024 was 100 736 and the crude mortality rate - 15.6‰. Compared to the previous year, the number of deaths had decreased by 270, or by 0.3%.

The number of minors and juveniles registered in the Child pedagogic rooms (CPRs) for anti-social acts and crimes committed in 2024 was 8 430. In comparison with 2023, their number decreased by 90 persons, or by 1.1%.

The number of minors and juveniles new entrants in the CPRs in 2024 was 2 699, and 2 594 persons were removed from the CPRs.

The minors and juveniles who passed through the CPRs for committed antisocial acts were 5 609, and for crimes - 4 835.