Statistical data

Since July 2024, NSI has started publishing Construction Production Indices by base year 2021 = 100 in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council for European Business Statistics and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197.

In September 2024, the production index in the ‘Construction’ section increased by 0.4% compared to the previous month. An increase was seen in the production of specialized construction activities and in the building construction - both by 0.5%, and in the production of civil engineering - by 0.2%. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

The calendar-adjusted data showed an increase of 5.1% in the construction production compared to the same month of 2023. Specialized construction activities rose by 10.2%, civil engineering - by 6.0%, and construction of buildings - by 0.3%.

In 2022, among the member states of the European Union (EU), the highest number of thefts per 100 000 population was recorded by police authorities in Sweden - 2 858.48 per 100 000 people, followed by Luxembourg - 2 520.00, and Denmark - 2 496.21. Croatia, Slovakia and Cyprus had the lowest rates - 287.06, 250.21 and 67.76 per 100 000 people, respectively. In the same year, Bulgaria recorded 28 250 thefts, or 413.08 per 100 000 population, which places our country 19th among EU countries. Compared to 2021, there is an increase of 16.9%.

International comparisons are based on statistical information provided annually by member states in the framework of a joint questionnaire of Eurostat and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UN-CTS).

Detailed up-to-date data can be found on the NSI website under the section 'Justice and crime'.

In October 2024, the total consumer confidence indicator decreases by 3.8 percentage points in comparison with July (from -8.4% to -12.2%). A decrease of the consumer confidence among both urban and rural inhabitants - by 3.3 and 5.0 percentage points respectively is reported.

Since July 2024, NSI has started publishing Turnover Indices in Retail trade by base year 2021 = 100 in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council for European Business Statistics and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197.

In September 2024, the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles’ at constant prices increased by 0.4% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

A growth was reported in ‘Retail sales of non-food products (except fuel)’ - by 1.4% and in ‘Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco’ - by 0.5%. In ‘Retail sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores’ a decrease was noted - by 3.6%.

The trade turnover rose by 4.8% compared to September 2023 according to the calendar-adjusted data.

In September 2024, compared to the same month of 2023, an increase of the turnover was registered in ‘Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco’ - by 10.5% and in ‘Retail sales of non-food products (except fuel)’ - by 7.4%. А drop was reported in ‘Retail sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores’ - by 13.8%.

Since July 2024, NSI has started publishing Services Production Indices by base year 2021 = 100 in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council for European Business Statistics and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197.

In August 2024, the total production index in Services of the business economy increased by 1.5% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

Compared to August 2023, an increase of 7.3% was registered in the calendar-adjusted index according to preliminary data.

According to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute, in the third quarter of 2024, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1 177, and the newly built dwellings in them were 4 398.

In the third quarter of 2024, 73.2% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 22.8% had solid structure, 3.1% had ‘other’ and 0.9% had a panel construction. The highest is the relative share of newly built houses (78.6%), followed by blocks of flats (14.4%).

The highest is the number of residential buildings built in Plovdiv district - 156 residential buildings with 431 dwellings, followed by Sofia (stolitsa) district - 153 residential buildings with 1 086 dwellings, and Burgas district - 137 buildings with 681 dwellings in them.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (39.7%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (32.9%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms (4.1%).

In the third quarter of 2024, the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 410.2 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space was 318.9 thousand square meters. The average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was 93.3 square meters.

The largest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in the districts of Smolyan - 162.3 sq. m, and Vidin - 162.0 sq. m, and the smallest ones in Shumen - 65.3 sq. m, and Targovishte - 68.7 square meters.

In the third quarter of 2024, the municipal authorities issued building permits for the construction of 2 113 residential buildings with 9 215 dwellings, 18 administrative buildings/offices and 1 162 other buildings.

The issued building permits for new residential buildings increased by 0.3% compared to the third quarter of 2023. The issued building permits for administrative buildings and other buildings have shown a decrease by 28.0 and 7.3% respectively.

The construction of 1 553 residential buildings with 6 707 dwellings, 12 administrative buildings/offices and 578 other buildings has started.

The number of started new residential buildings went up by 1.6% compared to the third quarter of 2023. The number of started administrative buildings and other buildings decreased by 29.4 and 6.5% respectively.

For September 2024, revenues of sub-sector ‘Central Government’ were reported in the amount of BGN 4 093.09 million and expenditures in amount of BGN 5 061.68 million, and for the sub-sector ‘Social Security Funds’ the revenues amounted to BGN 2 864.82 million and the expenditures were BGN 2 867.76 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'.

The data of the ‘General Government’ sector for the second quarter of 2024 have been published. Revenues in the amount of BGN 18 401.9 million, expenses in the amount of BGN 19 251.6 million and deficit in the amount of BGN 849.7 million were reported.

The data on revenues, expenditures and deficit/surplus of the ‘General Government’  sector are based on cash reports and trial balances on an accrual basis of the budgetary units, as well as quarterly data on the public enterprises reclassified in the sector, calculated by sub-sectors: sub-sector ‘Central Government’, sub-sector ‘Local Government’ and sub-sector ‘Social Insurance Funds’. The deficit/surplus of General government is equal to the sum of the deficit/surplus of sub-sectors, while the total revenue and expenditure are consolidated between sub-sectors.

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 2023, the total amount of expenditure on research and development activity (R&D) was 1 467.5 million BGN, which was 15.9% more than the previous year. The annual growth tendency is retained for the period 2019 - 2023.  

R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product) amounted to 0.79% and it was 0.04 percentage points higher than in 2022.

Regarding R&D expenditure by fields of science in 2023, as in the previous year, the highest share belonged to the R&D expenditure in engineering and technology sciences - 47.2% (693.5 million BGN), followed by medical and health sciences with a share of 22.3% (326.9 million BGN) and the natural sciences - 18.7% (273.9 million BGN).

In 2023, the personnel engaged in research and development activity amounted to 25 411 persons (in full-time equivalent), which was 6.2% less than the previous year. The share of women in total R&D personnel was 48.6%. The number of researchers in full-time equivalent was 16 357 persons, which was 6.5% less compared to 2022.