Press releases

The number of employees under labour contract at the end of December 2023 decreased by 0.5% as compared to the end of September 2023 and reached 2.29 million according to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The highest decrease was observed in economic activities: ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - by 6.6%, ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’- by 5.9%, and ‘Transportation and storage’ - by 1.3%. The highest increase of the number of employees was recorded in economic activities ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ - by 1.6%, and ‘Human health and social work activities’ - by 1.5%.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, in comparison with the third quarter of 2023, the average monthly wages and salaries increased by 6.2% and reached 2 123 BGN. The highest increase in wages and salaries was reported in ‘Education’ - by 16.1%, ‘Human health and social work activities’ - by 8.3%, and in ‘Real estate activities’ - by 7.4%.

In 2022, the Energy intensity of the economy decreased by 2.5% compared to the previous year.

The indicator Energy intensity of the economy measures the quantity of energy used for the production of a unit gross domestic product (GDP). The Energy intensity of the economy is calculated on the basis of the GDP at average 2010 and 2015 prices in thousand euro.

Data from previous years can be found on the NSI website under the heading ‘Energy’, Overall Energy Balance.

In December 2023, 2 229 accommodation establishments - hotels, motels, camping sites, mountain chalets and other establishments for short-term accommodation with 10 or more bed-places, functioned in the country with 63.6 thousand rooms and 132.0 thousand bed-places in them. In comparison with December 2022, the accommodation establishments increased by 0.2% and the bed-places in them - by 3.0%.

The total number of nights spent was 995.8 thousand, or by 2.9% more in comparison to a year earlier, and the number of arrivals in all accommodation establishments increased by 4.3% and reached 493.0 thousand.

The total revenues from nights spent reached 89.7 million BGN, or by 19.8% more compared to the same month of the previous year.

For the period January 1st - February 4th, 2024, the number of dead persons in Bulgaria is 10 773 and they are 308 less than during the same period in 2023. The data on deaths in Bulgaria for the period (1st - 5th week) and by week are available on the website of the National Statistical Institute at the following links:

Mortality | Infostat (infostat.nsi.bg)

Deaths in Bulgaria by weeks | National statistical institute (nsi.bg)

The Industrial Production Index increased by 3.3% in December 2023 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

An increase was seen in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 11.1%, in the mining and quarrying industry - by 9.4%, and in the manufacturing - by 0.9%.

In comparison with December 2022, a decline of 6.9% was registered in the calendar-adjusted Industrial Production Index.

On an annual basis, a drop in the Industrial Production Index was observed in the manufacturing - by 8.9%, and in the mining and quarrying industry - by 8.8%, while in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply there was а growth - by 4.6%.

In December 2023, the index of production in the ‘Construction’ section decreased by 0.4% compared to the previous month. The production of building construction fell by 1.2%, while the production of civil engineering rose by 0.7%. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

The calendar-adjusted data showed a decrease of 3.6% in construction production compared to the same month of 2022. A decrease was registered both in building construction by 4.5% and in civil engineering - by 2.4%.

The exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries decreased by 2.9% compared to 2022 and amounted to 31 385.5 million BGN, while the imports of goods from third countries dropped by 19.7% and added up to 38 766.8 million BGN.

Тhe most notable growth was recorded in the sections ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (28.5%) and ‘Food and live animals’ (22.1%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (29.6%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from third countries was recorded in the sections ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (12.6%) and ‘Food and live animals’ (9.8%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (50.4%). The data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.

The total value of all exported goods to third countries and the EU amounted to 86 562.7 million BGN in 2023, which is 6.8% less than the previous year, while the total value of all imported goods from third countries and the EU added up to 96 870.7 million BGN and dropped by 10.2%.

In the period January - November 2023, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU decreased by 9.0% compared to the same period of 2022 and amounted to 51 278.9 million BGN, while the imports of goods from the EU decreased by 2.5% and reached 53 340.3 million BGN.

In November 2023, the exports to the EU decreased by 16.5% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and amounted to 4 520.0 million BGN, while the imports fell by 8.4% and added up to 5 081.6 million BGN.

The most notable growth in the exports of goods to the EU compared to the same period of 2022 was recorded in the section ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (13.0%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (64.6%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from the EU was recorded in the section ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (17.1%), while the most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (64.7%). Data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.

In January 2024, the total consumer confidence indicator increases by 6.7 percentage points compared to its October 2023 level. An increase of consumer confidence among both urban and rural inhabitants - by 8.8 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively, is reported.

According to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute in the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1 529, and the newly built dwellings in them were 6 350. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, the buildings were by 57 less (or by 3.6%), and the newly built dwellings in them increased by 1 101, or by 21.0%.

76.8% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 19.5% had solid structure, 3.3% had ‘other’ and 0.4% had a panel. The highest is the relative share of houses (78.3%), followed by blocks of flats (14.1%).

The highest is the number of residential buildings built in the district of Sofia (stolitsa) - 267 residential buildings with 1 823 dwellings, followed by Plovdiv - 230 residential buildings with 636 dwellings, and Varna - 174 buildings with 1 390 dwellings in them.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (38.9%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (34.4%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with five rooms (4.8%).

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 644.4 thousand sq. m, or by 10.3% more, compared to the same quarter of 2022, and the living floor space increased (by 10.9%) to 504.5 thousand sq. meters.

The average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling decreased from 111.3 sq. m in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 101.5 sq. m in the same quarter of 2023.

The biggest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in the districts of Silistra - 227.8 sq. m, and Gabrovo - 171.4 sq. m, and the smallest ones in Montana - 71.1 sq. m, and Varna - 72.4 sq. meters.