Press releases

In March 2024, 2 213 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 62.9 thousand rooms and 130.0 thousand bed-places in them. In comparison with the same month of the previous year, the accommodation establishments increased by 4.2% and the bed-places in them - by 4.7%.

The total number of nights spent was 1 074.8 thousand, or by 4.6% more in comparison to a year earlier, and the number of arrivals in all accommodation establishments increased by 9.7% and reached 497.2 thousand.

The total revenues from nights spent reached 93.5 million BGN, or by 17.4% more compared to the same month of the previous year.

The exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries decreased by 9.9% compared to the same period of 2023 and amounted to 7 037.3 million BGN, while the imports of goods from third countries dropped by 2.8% and added up to 9 615.8 million BGN.

Тhe most notable growth in the exports was recorded in the sections ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (20.0%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (29.7%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from third countries was recorded in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (31.5%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Crude materials, inedible (except fuel)’ (19.3%). The data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.

The total value of all exported goods to third countries and the EU amounted to 19 947.2 million BGN in the period January - March 2024, which is 11.1% 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 23 772.0 million BGN and dropped by 4.1%.

In the period January - February 2024, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU decreased by 12.6% compared to the same period of 2023 and amounted to 8 343.6 million BGN, while the imports of goods from the EU grew by 0.5% and reached 9 467.4 million BGN.

In February 2024, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU decreased by 7.8% compared to the same month of 2023 and amounted to 4 249.1 million BGN, while the imports of goods from the EU grew by 1.3% and reached 4 910.7 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 ‘Beverages and tobacco’ (27.8%). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’ (48.0%). The largest growth in the imports of goods from the EU was recorded in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (114.9%), while the most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ (13.3%). Data are by the Standard International Trade Classification.

In April 2024, the total consumer confidence indicator increases by 1.5 percentage points in comparison with January (from -15.5% to -14.0%). An increase of consumer confidence among both urban and rural inhabitants - by 1.3 and 1.6 percentage points, respectively, is reported.

In March 2024, the index of production in the ‘Construction’ section increased by 0.3% compared to the previous month. An increase was seen in the production of specialized construction activities - by 0.8%, and in the production of building construction - by 0.7%. In the civil engineering, a decrease of 1.0% was observed. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

The calendar-adjusted data showed an increase of 3.7% in the construction production compared to the same month of 2023. A rise was registered in the specialized construction activities - by 7.9%, and in the civil engineering - by 5.0%. In the building construction, a decrease of 0.4% was observed.

The Industrial Production Index decreased by 1.0% in March 2024 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

A decrease was registered in the in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 5.5%, in the manufacturing - by 1.2%, while an increase was registered in the mining and quarrying industry - by 1.2%.

In comparison with March 2023, a decline of 7.6% was registered in the calendar-adjusted Industrial Production Index.

On an annual basis, a drop in the Industrial Production Index was observed in the mining and quarrying industry - by 21.8%, in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 9.1%, and in the manufacturing - by 5.9%.

In March 2024, the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles’ at constant prices decreased by 0.6% compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

А decrease was observed in all major groups: the non-food products (except fuel) - by 2.3%, the food, beverages and tobacco - by 0.8% and the automotive fuel - by 0.4%.

The calendar-adjusted turnover rose by 0.3% compared to the same month in 2023.

In March 2024, compared to the same month of 2023, an increase in turnover was registered in the food, beverages and tobacco - by 8.6%, a decrease was registered in the automotive fuel in specialised stores - by 15.5%, while the trade of non-food products (except fuel) kept the level of the previous year.

The total production index in Services of the business economy increased by 0.1% in February 2024 compared to the previous month. The data are preliminary and seasonally adjusted.

During February 2024, the production index in Services of the business economy increased by 3.6% compared to the same month of 2023. The data are preliminary and calendar-adjusted.

According to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute in the first quarter of 2024, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1 026, and the newly built dwellings in them were 3 475.

In the first quarter of 2024, 78.5% of the newly built residential buildings had steel-concrete construction, 16.0% had solid structure, 4.3% had ‘other’ and 1.2% had a panel construction. The highest is the relative share of houses (79.1%), followed by blocks of flats (12.9%).

The highest is the number of residential buildings built in the district of Plovdiv - 147 residential buildings with 357 dwellings, followed by district of Sofia - 139 residential buildings with 217 dwellings, and Varna - 108 buildings with 394 dwellings in them.

The highest is the number of newly built dwellings with two rooms (33.6%), followed by the number of those with three rooms (32.8%), and the lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms (4.5%).

In the first quarter of 2024, the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 353.2 thousand sq. m, and the living floor space was 274.5 thousand sq. meters. The average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was 101.7 sq. meters.

The biggest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in the districts of Montana - 230.5 sq. m, and Silistra - 182.5 sq. m, and the smallest ones in Veliko Tarnovo - 69.0 sq. m, and Sliven - 75.1 sq. meters.

For March 2024, revenues of the subsector ‘Central Government’ were reported in the amount of BGN 4 206.81 million and expenditures - BGN 5 013.22 million, and for the subsector ‘Social Security Funds’, the revenues amounted to BGN 2 453.19 million, and the expenditures are BGN 2 516.71 million.

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