Statistical data

According to the seasonally adjusted data, the GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2013 is 0.4% compared with the same quarter of the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2013 the employment rate of population aged 15 - 64 was 57.7%, or by 0.8 percentage points above the level registered during the first quarter of the 2012. For the same period the unemployment rate increased by 0.9 percentage points and in the first quarter of 2013 was 13.8%.

The consumer price index in April 2013 compared to March 2013 was 99.6%, i.e. the monthly inflation was -0.4%.

The number of detached crèches and groups in kindergartens functioning in Bulgaria at the end of 2012 was 754 with 29 601 places in them. The number of children new entrants in detached crèches and groups in kindergartens in 2012 was 29 216 or 164 children less than the children new entrants in 2011. 31 474 children were accommodated there at the end of the year.

In April 2013 the total consumer confidence indicator increases by 2.3 percentage points compared to its January level as for the urban population the increase is 2.0 percentage points and for the rural population - 2.5 percentage points.

According to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute in the first quarter of 2013 the number of newly built residential buildings was 549 and compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year a decrease by 9.9% was registered.

According to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) at the end of March 2013 the number of employees under labour contract decreased by 0.5% as compared to the end of December 2012 and reached 2.23 millions. In the first quarter of 2013 in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2012 the average monthly wages and salaries decreased by 3.1% getting 778 Levs.

In March 2013, 1 830 accommodation establishments - hotels, motels, camping sites, mountain chalets and other establishments for short-term accommodation with more than 10 bed places were functioned in the country. The total number of the rooms in them was 52.5 thousands and the bed-places were 104.7 thousands. In comparison with March 2012 the total number of accommodation establishments increased by 8.5% and the bed-places in them - by 6.1%.
The total number of the nights spent in all accommodation establishments amounted to 632.0 thousands or by 9.9% more in comparison with the same month of the previous year. The total revenues from nights spent reached 30.0 Million BGN or by 5.4% more compared to March 2012.

In the period January - March 2013 the Bulgarian exports to third countries increased by 12.6% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year and amounted to 4.1 Billion Levs while the imports grew by 5.8% and added up to 4.8 Billion Levs.
In the period January - March 2013 the total value of all exported goods (both for third countries and EU) amounted to 10.2 Billion Levs and compared to the corresponding period of 2012 the exports increased by 12.9% while the total value of all imported goods added up to 11.7 Billion Levs and grew by 2.8%.

According to the preliminary data in March 2013 the index of production in section ‘Construction’ calculated on the base of seasonally adjusted data was 1.3% below the level of the previous month.