According to the seasonally adjusted data, GDP had a growth rate of 2.0% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
According to data from the Household Budget Survey, during the second quarter of 2024 the quarterly total income average per household member was 3 216 BGN and it increased by 20.5% compared to the same quarter of 2023.
The quarterly total expenditure average per household member during the second quarter of 2024 was 2 826 BGN and increased by 18.8% compared to the same quarter of 2023.
In the second quarter of 2024, there were changes in the consumption of basic food products on average per person compared to the same quarter of 2023. The biggest increase was in the consumption of fruit, vegetables and meat. The consumption of bread and paste products decreased.
In June 2024, 3 297 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 139.5 thousand rooms and 314.4 thousand bed-places in them. In comparison with the same month of the previous year, the accommodation establishments increased by 2.0% and the bed-places in them - by 1.4%.
The total number of nights spent was 3.5 million, or by 5.9% more in comparison to a year earlier, and the number of arrivals in all accommodation establishments increased by 6.0% and reached 1.0 million.
The total revenues from nights spent reached 270.5 million BGN, or by 18.0% more compared to the same month of the previous year.
The exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries decreased by 6.4% compared to the same period of 2023 and amounted to 14 497.5 million BGN, while the imports of goods from third countries increased by 5.7% and added up to 19 941.9 million BGN.
Тhe most notable growth in the exports was recorded in the sections ‘Chemical and related products n.e.c.’ (10.1%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (30.7%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from third countries was recorded in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (35.1%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Machinery and transport equipment’ (9.5%). The data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.
The total value of all exported goods to third countries and the EU amounted to 41 388.8 million BGN in the period January - June 2024, which is 5.6% less than the same period of the previous year, while the total value of all imported goods from third countries and the EU added up to 47 619.4 million BGN and dropped by 1.1%.
In the period January - May 2024, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU decreased by 6.2% compared to the same period of 2023 and amounted to 22 176.3 million BGN, while the imports of goods from the EU decreased by 4.9% and amounted to 23 247.5 million BGN.
In May 2024, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU decreased by 5.2% compared to the same month of 2023 and amounted to 4 496.2 million BGN, while the imports of goods from the EU decreased by 15.0% and amounted to 4 228.4 million BGN.
The most notable growth in the exports of goods to the EU compared to the same month of 2023 was recorded in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (45.0%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (27.4%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from the EU was recorded in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (64.6%), while the most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ (16.4%). Data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.
The number of employees under labour contract at the end of June 2024 increased by 1.2% as compared to the end of March 2024 and reached 2.35 million according to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The highest increase was observed in the economic activities: ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - by 24.0%, ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - by 4.5%, and ‘Administrative and support service activities’ - by 1.8%. The highest decrease of the number of employees - by 1.7% was recorded in the economic activity ‘Manufacturing’.
In the second quarter of 2024, in comparison with the first quarter of 2024, the average monthly wages and salaries increased by 4.5% and reached 2 296 BGN. The highest increase in wages and salaries was reported in ‘Public administration and defence; compulsory social security’ - by 13.1%, ‘Education’ - by 9.7%, and in ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - by 9.2%.
In June 2024, the production index in the ‘Construction’ section decreased by 1.1% compared to the previous month. A decrease was seen in the specialized construction activities - by 3.4%, and in the production of building construction - by 0.6%. An increase was observed in the production of civil engineering - by 1.1%. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.
The calendar-adjusted data showed an increase of 2.9% in the construction production compared to the same month of 2023. A rise was registered in the civil engineering - by 6.1%, and in the specialized construction activities - by 5.4%. In the production of building construction, a decrease of 1.1% was seen.
The Industrial Production Index decreased by 0.2% in June 2024 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.
In June 2024, compared to the previous month, a decrease was seen in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 15.8%, while an increase was registered in the manufacturing - by 2.2%, and in the mining and quarrying industry - by 0.7%.
In comparison with June 2023, a decrease of 5.2% was registered in the calendar-adjusted Industrial Production Index.
On an annual basis, a drop of the Industrial Production Index was observed in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 17.2%, in the mining and quarrying industry - by 17.0%, in the manufacturing - by 2.4%.
According to preliminary data[1] from the National Statistical Institute, in the second quarter of 2024, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1 039, and the newly built dwellings in them were 5 090.
In the second quarter of 2024, 77.1% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 18.2% had solid structure, 4.0% had ‘other’ and 0.7% had a panel construction. The highest is the relative share of newly built houses (75.5%), followed by blocks of flats (16.0%).
The highest is the number of residential buildings built in Plovdiv district - 163 residential buildings with 607 dwellings, followed by Burgas district - 134 residential buildings with 1 027 dwellings, and Varna district - 127 buildings with 711 dwellings in them.
The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (39.4%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (33.8%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms (2.8%).
In the second quarter of 2024, the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 430.7 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space was 328.2 thousand square meters. The average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was 84.6 square meters.
The biggest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in the districts of Lovech - 168.2 sq. m, and Ruse - 160.6 sq. m, and the smallest ones in Vidin - 63.0 sq. m, and Sofia (stolitsa) - 70.8 square meters.
[1] Due to a change in the source of information for Sofia (stolitsa), data refer to districts of Vitosha, Vrabnitsa Vazrazhdane, Mladost, Nadezhda, Poduyane, Serdika and Studentski. Due to a refusal to provide information about newly built residential buildings on their territories, there are no data about the other administrative districts.
In July 2024, the total consumer confidence indicator increases by 5.6 percentage points compared to its April level (from -14.0% to -8.4%). An improvement of the consumer confidence among both urban and rural inhabitants – by 4.5 and 8.8 percentage points respectively is reported.
