Press releases

In the third quarter of 2018 the unemployment rate was 5.0% and the employment rate of population aged 20 - 64 was 73.5%.

The investment business inquiry of NSI carried out among industrial enterprises in October 2018 shows that the entrepreneurs expect the investments in the current year to be with 12.7% less in comparison with the previous 2017. The forecasts over 2019 are for a decrease of the volume of investments in industry by 8.7% compared to 2018.

The consumer price index in October 2018 compared to September 2018 was 100.7%, i.e. the monthly inflation was 0.7%.

In the period January - August 2018 exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU increased by 11.1% compared to the same period of 2017 and amounted to 24 917.5 Million BGN while the imports of goods grew by 8.7% and added up to 26 369.1 Million BGN.

In August 2018 the exports of goods to the EU increased by 13.0% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and amounted to 3 307.1 Million BGN while the imports of goods decreased by 6.4% and added up to 2 970.6 Million BGN.

In the period January - September 2018 the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries decreased by 21.3% compared to the same period of 2017 and amounted to 11 649.3 Million BGN while the imports of goods from third countries increased by 6.1% and added up to 16 554.6 Million BGN.

In the period January - September 2018 the total value of all exported goods (both for third countries and EU) amounted to 39 795.2 Million BGN, which is 1.5% less than the same period of the previous year, while the total value of all imported goods added up to 46 154.3 Million BGN and grew by 7.5%.

In September 2018, 2 841 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 129.5 thousand and the bed-places were 292.4 thousand. In comparison with September 2017, the total number of accommodation establishments (functioned during the period) increased by 4.1% and the bed-places in them - by 2.4%.

The total number of the nights spent in all accommodation establishments registered in September 2018 was 3 168.5 thousand, or by 2.6% more in comparison with the same month of the previous year.

The total revenues from nights spent in September 2018 reached 164.2 million BGN or by 7.6% more compared to September 2017.

According to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute at the end of September 2018 the number of employees under labour contract decreased by 1.6% as compared to the end of June 2018 and reached 2.32 million.

In the third quarter of 2018 in comparison with the second quarter of 2018 the average monthly wages and salaries decreased by 0.7% getting 1 117 BGN.

According to the preliminary data, in September 2018 the index of production in section ‘Construction’ calculated on the base of seasonally adjusted data was 2.0% below the level of the previous month. In September 2018 the working day adjusted index of production in construction decreased by 4.0% in comparison with the same month of 2017.

According to the preliminary seasonally adjusted data in September 2018 the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles’ division at constant prices increased by 0.3% compared to the previous month. The working day adjusted turnover increased by 4.6% as compared to the same month of the previous year.

According to the preliminary data the Industrial Production Index, seasonally adjusted, fell by 1.2% in September 2018 as compared to August 2018. In September 2018 the working day adjusted Industrial Production Index decreased by 0.8% in comparison with the same month of 2017.