According to the preliminary data of the NSI, in March 2011 the index of production in section ‘Construction’, calculated on the base of seasonally adjusted data, was 3.1% below the level recorded the previous month.
The preliminary data showed that the Industrial Production Index, seasonally adjusted increased by 0.1% in March 2011 as compared to February 2011. The working day adjusted Industrial Production Index rose by 5.1% as compared to the same month of 2010.
In the period January - February 2011 the Bulgarian exports to the EU increased by 55.0% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year and exceeded 3.6 billion levs while the imports increased by 28.4% and also exceeded 3.6 billion levs.
In February 2011 the exports to the EU increased by 41% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and exceeded 1.7 billion levs while the imports increased by 20.8% and reached to 1.9 billion levs.
In the first quarter of 2011, the municipal authorities have issued building permits for construction of 951 residential buildings with 2 458 dwellings, of 37 administrative buildings/offices and 954 other buildings. The construction of 459 residential buildings with 1 540 dwellings, of 26 administrative buildings/offices and 409 other buildings has been started.
The number of detached crèches and groups in kindergartens functioning in the country at the end of 2010 is 731 with 28 139 places in them. The tendencies of increasing of the establishments’ number as well as the number of places in them continue in 2010. The number of places in detached crèches and groups in kindergartens as of 31.12.2010 increases by 1 187 (4.4%) compared to the end of 2009.
During the 2006 - 2010 period the educational attainment of the population aged 25 - 64 continues to improve following the clear-cut tendency towards an increase of the number and share of the population with tertiary and secondary education together with the decrease of the number and share of people with primary and lower education. The relative share of the population with tertiary education (college and university) increased from 21.9% in 2006 to 23.2% in 2010 or by 1.3 points and the share of the population with secondary education increased from 52.5 to 56.2% or by 3.7 points. Parallel to this, the relative share of persons with primary and lower education decreased by 5.0 points - from 25.6 to 20.6%. This means that 79.4% of the population at the most active working age (25 - 64 years of age) is with secondary or higher education.
Producer Price Index on Domestic Market in March 2011 rose by 1.0% comparing to the previous month, while compared to the same month of 2010 the domestic prices grew by 12.1%. Total Producer Price Index in Industry increased by 1.0% compared to the previous month, compared to the same month of 2010 the prices rose by 13.5%.
In April 2011 the total business climate indicator increases by 2.4 percentage points restoring in half the drop from the previous month. There are 10.0 percentage points left in order to reach the long-term average value of this indicator. The improvement is due to the sectors of industry and services, since the business climate in construction and retail trade is worsened.
In March 2011, the number of the trips of Bulgarian residents abroad was 295.4 thousand or 4.1% more than the number of the trips in March 2010.
In March 2011, the number of the arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria was 335.7 thousand or 11.3% more than the number of the trips in the corresponding month of 2010.