Press releases

In March 2024, the index of production in the ‘Construction’ section increased by 0.3% compared to the previous month. An increase was seen in the production of specialized construction activities - by 0.8%, and in the production of building construction - by 0.7%. In the civil engineering, a decrease of 1.0% was observed. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

The calendar-adjusted data showed an increase of 3.7% in the construction production compared to the same month of 2023. A rise was registered in the specialized construction activities - by 7.9%, and in the civil engineering - by 5.0%. In the building construction, a decrease of 0.4% was observed.

The Industrial Production Index decreased by 1.0% in March 2024 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

A decrease was registered in the in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 5.5%, in the manufacturing - by 1.2%, while an increase was registered in the mining and quarrying industry - by 1.2%.

In comparison with March 2023, a decline of 7.6% was registered in the calendar-adjusted Industrial Production Index.

On an annual basis, a drop in the Industrial Production Index was observed in the mining and quarrying industry - by 21.8%, in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 9.1%, and in the manufacturing - by 5.9%.

In March 2024, the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles’ at constant prices decreased by 0.6% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

А decrease was observed in all major groups: the non-food products (except fuel) - by 2.3%, the food, beverages and tobacco - by 0.8% and the automotive fuel - by 0.4%.

The calendar-adjusted turnover rose by 0.3% compared to the same month in 2023.

In March 2024, compared to the same month of 2023, an increase in turnover was registered in the food, beverages and tobacco - by 8.6%, a decrease was registered in the automotive fuel in specialised stores - by 15.5%, while the trade of non-food products (except fuel) kept the level of the previous year.

The total production index in Services of the business economy increased by 0.1% in February 2024 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

During February 2024, the production index in Services of the business economy increased by 3.6% compared to the same month of 2023. The data are preliminary and calendar-adjusted.

According to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute in the first quarter of 2024, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1 026, and the newly built dwellings in them were 3 475.

In the first quarter of 2024, 78.5% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 16.0% had solid structure, 4.3% had ‘other’ and 1.2% had a panel construction. The highest is the relative share of houses (79.1%), followed by blocks of flats (12.9%).

The highest is the number of residential buildings built in the district of Plovdiv - 147 residential buildings with 357 dwellings, followed by district of Sofia - 139 residential buildings with 217 dwellings, and Varna - 108 buildings with 394 dwellings in them.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (33.6%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (32.8%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms (4.5%).

In the first quarter of 2024, the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 353.2 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space was 274.5 thousand sq. meters. The average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was 101.7 sq. meters.

The biggest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in the districts of Montana - 230.5 sq. m, and Silistra - 182.5 sq. m, and the smallest ones in Veliko Tarnovo - 69.0 sq. m, and Sliven - 75.1 sq. meters.

For March 2024, revenues of the subsector ‘Central Government’ were reported in the amount of BGN 4 206.81 million and expenditures - BGN 5 013.22 million, and for the subsector ‘Social Security Funds’, the revenues amounted to BGN 2 453.19 million, and the expenditures are BGN 2 516.71 million.

The data of the ‘Central Government’ subsector are formed on the basis of the monthly cash statements of the budget units, as well as estimates of the state enterprises reclassified in the subsector, and the data of the ‘Social Security Funds’ subsector - 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'.

As of 31 December 2023, 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. 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 40.8% of the total country’s population.

The number of newly built residential buildings in 2023 was 5 419, and the newly built dwellings in them were 22 649.

76.1% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 20.7% had solid structure, 2.9% had ‘other’ and 0.3% had a panel.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (36.4%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (33.2%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms (4.6%).

The total useful space of newly built dwellings in 2023 is 2 240.7 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space is 1 766.6 thousand sq. meters.

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

In the first quarter of 2024, the municipal authorities issued building permits for the construction of 1 823 residential buildings with 10 487 dwellings, 27 administrative buildings/offices and 1 094 other buildings.

The issued building permits for new residential buildings increased by 4.3% as compared to the first quarter of 2023. The issued building permits for administrative buildings and other buildings rose by 42.1% and 5.7%, respectively.

The construction of 1 389 residential buildings with 9 089 dwellings, 6 administrative buildings/offices and 550 other buildings has started.

As compared to the first quarter of 2023, the number of started new residential buildings and other buildings increased by 9.2% and 6.4%, respectively. The number of started administrative buildings decreased by 25.0%.

The Total Producer Price Index in Industry fell by 1.6% in March 2024 compared to the previous month. Lower prices were registered in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 8.2%. An increase was observed in the mining and quarrying industry - by 6.3%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 0.1%.

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market decreased by 3.3% in March 2024 compared to February 2024. The domestic prices went down in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 9.1%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 0.5%. In the mining and quarrying industry, the prices grew by 2.9%.

The Total Producer Price Index went down by 8.7% in March 2024 compared to the same month in 2023. There was a considerable decrease in prices in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 31.2%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 0.4%, while the mining and quarrying industry marked a rise of 3.4%.

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market fell by 12.7% compared to March 2023. A drop in the prices was reported in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 30.6%, and in the manufacturing industry - by 1.1%, while prices in the mining and quarrying industry increased by 0.1%.