Press releases

In May 2025, the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles’ at constant prices increased by 2.0% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

An increase was reported in ‘Retail sales of non-food products (except fuel)’ - by 2.7%, while a decrease was observed in ‘Retail sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores’ - by 2.9%. The turnover in ‘Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco’ kept the level of previous month.

The trade turnover rose by 7.2% compared to the same month of 2024 according to the calendar-adjusted data.

In May 2025, compared to the same month of 2024, a rise of the turnover was registered in ‘Retail sales of non-food products (except fuel)’ - by 12.3%, and in ‘Retail sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores’ - by 8.8%, while in ‘Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco’ it is at the level of May 2024.

In April 2025, the total production index in Services of the business economy decreased by 0.2% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

Compared to April 2024, a decrease of 0.9% was registered in the calendar-adjusted index according to preliminary data.

In 2024, the number of first residence permits issued to third-country nationals with a validity of at least three months was 19 662, which is with 1.5% more than in 2023.

The highest was the number of permissions to stay for reasons related to remunerated activities - 8 653, followed by the permissions for reasons related to family formation and reunification - 5 356. Compared to the previous year, the number of permits for the reason ‘work’ increased by 33.8%, while the number of permits for family reasons decreased by 13.1%.

In 2024, 7 064 permits for residence and work type ‘Single Permit’ were issued in the country. Compared to 2023, the number of permits of the ‘Single Permit for Residence and Work’ type increased by 64.3%.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Residence permits for foreigners'.

In the first quarter of 2025:

• Тhe Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.1% compared to the first quarter of 2024.
• 74.7%of GDP were spent on individual consumption.
• The relative share of gross fixed capital formation in GDP was 14.9%.
• The employment rate for the population aged 15 years and over was 52.8%.
• The unemployment rate was 3.9% (compared to 5.0% in the first quarter of 2024), 3.9% for men and 3.8% for women, respectively.
• Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the total hourly labour cost rose by 12.4% (preliminary data).
• Compared to the first quarter of 2024, housing prices increased by 15.1%.

In April 2025, the total consumer confidence indicator increased by 3.1 percentage points compared to January 2025.

For May 2025, the reported revenues of sub-sector ‘Central Government’ were in the amount of BGN 5 295.06 million and the expenditures were in the amount of BGN 5 828.67 million, and for the sub-sector ‘Social Security Funds’ the revenues amounted to BGN 2 986.00 million and the expenditures were BGN 3 120.45 million.

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

In 2023, the total waste generated was 94 238 564 tons (0.51% increase compared to 2022, when it was 93 762 412 tons). The non-hazardous waste was 78 275 339 tons or 83% and the hazardous waste was 15 963 225 tons or 17%.

The largest amount of total waste generated in 2023 - 79 491 036 (tons), was Mineral wastes. In second place were the Combustion wastes - in 2023 the amount was 7 092 548 (tons), and the least amount of metal waste generated was 9 tons of hazardous metal wastes.

In 2023, most waste was generated in the ‘Mining and quarrying’ section - 75 907 138 tons, or 81% of the total waste generated in the country. In second place was the section ‘Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’ – 5 544 831 tons or 6%, and in third place - ‘Manufacturing’ section - 4 862 168 tons or 5%. The least waste was generated in the ‘Services’ sector - 983 392 tons or 1.04%.

The most waste handed over for disposal in 2023 was from combustion processes - 4 202 424 tons, and most exported from the country was the metal waste - 143 466 tons.

According to final SBS data, annual reports on their activity for 2023 were submitted at the National Statistical Institute by 404 257 non-financial enterprises. The number of persons employed in the non-financial enterprises was 2 200 045. The non-financial enterprises generated 295 260 million BGN of the production value and reported a turnover of 500 868 million BGN.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading ‘Non-financial Enterprises’.

Insurance Companies

In 2023, according to final data of NSI, 13 enterprises operated in the field of life insurance, and 32 in the "General insurance" sector, with the number of employed and self-employed persons in them being 1 177 and 4 770, respectively. Net turnover in life insurance amounted to 568 million BGN, and the gross incurred claims amounted to 180 million BGN. In the "General Insurance" sector, the net turnover reached 2 591 million BGN, and the gross claims - 1 576 million BGN.

Pension Companies and Pension Funds

According to the final data of the NSI, in 2023 there were 10 pension insurance companies operating, and the number of employed and self-employed persons in them was 1 212. The net turnover of these companies amounted to 209 million BGN, and the gross surplus from the main activity was in the amount of 88 million BGN.

In 2023, 50 pension funds operated in the country, with a net turnover of 2 937 million BGN, and the number of members – 5 002.

Specialized Investment Companies

In 2023, according to the final data of the NSI, 248 specialized investment enterprises were operating in Bulgaria, with 1 257 employed and self-employed persons in them and realized net turnover in the amount of 1 571 million BGN.

Credit Institutions

According to final data of NSI, in 2023, 24 credit institutions functioned. The value of output to 8 995 million BGN, and the number of employed and self-employed persons in them is 28 589.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading ‘Financial Enterprises’.

At the end of the first quarter of 2025, the number of job vacancies, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), was 22.3 thousand, or by 21.0% more compared to the first quarter of 2024. The job vacancy rate (the proportion of the number of job vacancies to the total sum of number of occupied posts and the number of vacancies) was 1.0%.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Labour Market'.

In June 2025, the total business climate indicator increases by 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous month. An improvement of the indicator is observed in the construction, retail trade and service sector, and in the industry preserves approximately its May level.

The main factors limiting the activity in the sectors remain the uncertain economic environment, shortage of labour, costs of materials and the competition in the branch.