Press releases

According to preliminary data during the first quarter of 2018 in comparison with the same period of 2017 there was a decrease both in the goods carried and in the transport performance by the freight land and water transport.

In the first quarter of 2018 the transported passengers and the transport performance by passenger transport (land, water and urban electrical transport) decreased compared to the same period of the previous year, respectively by 2.6% and 5.4%.

According to the preliminary data for the first quarter of 2018 the total turnover index in section ‘Transportation, storage and post’, calculated on the basis of seasonally adjusted data increased by 3.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. In section ‘Information and communication’ the turnover index grew by 4.6%.

In the first quarter of 2018, 1 002.0 thousand Bulgarian residents made tourist trips. The majority (84.2%) of them travelled only within the country, 13.2% - only abroad and 2.6% - both in the country and abroad. Compared to the same quarter of 2017 the total number of the travelled persons aged 15 and over increased by 8.2%.

The number of operating community clubs as of 31.12.2017 in Republic of Bulgaria was 3 321, from which 663 (20.0%) in urban and 2 658 (80.0%) in rural areas. In comparison to 2012 the number of community clubs had increased with 246. The register members were 272 797 and in comparison to 2012 there was observed an increase with 34 593 or with 14.5%.

The total income average per household member during the first quarter of 2018 is 1 407 BGN and increases by 9.8% compared to the same quarter of 2017.

The total expenditure average per household member during the first quarter of 2018 is 1 263 BGN and increases by 11.5% in comparison to the same quarter of 2017.

The consumption of main food products average per household member changes during the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same quarter of 2017.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2018 increased by 0.4% in the EU-28 compared to the previous quarter by seasonally adjusted data. For the same period GDP in Bulgaria increased by 0.8%.

According to the seasonally adjusted data, the GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2018 is 3.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2018 the unemployment rate was 5.7% and the employment rate of population aged 20 - 64 was 71.1%.

The consumer price index in April 2018 compared to March 2018 was 100.4%, i.e. the monthly inflation was 0.4%.