In the second quarter of 2026, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.8% compared to the second quarter of 2025 and there was an increase of 0.7% compared to the first quarter of 2025 at the seasonally adjusted data.
Second quarter of 2026
GDP, current prices
According to the preliminary data, GDP[1] at current prices for the second quarter of 2026 is 30 292.5 million EUR (Annex, Table 1). The GDP per person is 4 729.3 EUR. At an average quarterly exchange rate of 0.860625 EUR for 1 USD, the GDP is 35 198.2 million USD, or 5 495.2 USD per person.
The Gross Value Added (GVA)[2] generated by the national economy during the second quarter of 2026 amounted to 26 318.9 million EUR at current prices.
[1] The GDP at market prices is the final result of the economic activity of resident institutional units. GDP is derived by the following three approaches:
- GDP is the sum of GVA generated by institutional sectors or economic activity groupings plus taxes minus subsidies on products. GVA is the balancing item of the Production account;
- GDP by final expenditure is calculated as the sum of individual consumption, collective consumption, gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories, net exports of goods and services;
- GDP by income approach is the sum of generated income in the income account (compensation of employees, net taxes on production, gross operating surplus, and gross mixed income).
[2] Gross Value Added at basic prices is a balancing item in the Production account between the gross output at basic prices and the intermediate consumption at purchasers’ prices.
In the second quarter of 2026, the relative share of the economic sector of Agriculture in GVA was 2.4%, which indicates a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2025.
The Industry sector increased its relative share in GVA of the national economy by 0.1 percentage points, to 25.2%.
The relative share of the value added of the activities in the Services sector is 72.4%, increased in the second quarter of 2026 by 0.5 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2025.
In the second quarter of 2026, 79.0% of the GDP was used for final consumption expenditures[3]. Investments (gross fixed capital formation[4]) formed 23.0% of GDP.
The external balance of goods and services was negative.
[3] Final consumption expenditures include expenditures of resident institutional units (households, non-profit institutions serving households, general government) on goods and services used for individual consumption of the population and for collective consumption of society. According to the national concept principles, individual consumption expenditures include expenditures for goods and services on the territory of the country and abroad.
[4] Gross fixed capital formation includes acquired fixed assets owned by residential producers and households less disposal ones during the reporting period. Gross fixed capital formation covers investments in tangible and intangible assets, produced in the production process or imported, used many times over a period longer than one year.
GDP and GVA growth rates from seasonally adjusted data
Growth rates on a quarterly basis
According to the preliminary and seasonally adjusted data, in the second quarter of 2026, GDP increased by 0.7% compared to the previous quarter (Annex, Table 2). For the same period, GVA increased by 0.6%.
According to the seasonally adjusted data for the second quarter of 2026, final consumption increased by 0.9% compared to the previous quarter. Exports of goods and services increased by 5.2% and imports of goods and services decreased by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter, according to the seasonally adjusted data.
Growth rates on an annual basis
GDP increased by 2.8% and GVA increased by 2.2% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the second quarter of 2025, according to the seasonally adjusted data (Annex, Table 2).
The increase in Gross Value Added is determined by the growth in the following economic activities:
‘Financial and insurance activities’ - by 4.8%, ‘Real estate activities’ - by 4.5%, ‘Construction’ - by 4.0%, ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - by 3.8%, ‘Professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities’ - by 3.3%, ‘Information and communication’ - by 3.1%, ‘Public administration and defense; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities’ - by 2.9%, ‘Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities’ - by 2.9%, ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation, repair of household goods and other services’ - by 0.9%.
A decline was registered in ‘Mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply, waste management and remediation activities’ - by 3.2%.
Regarding the expenditure components of GDP, the main contributor to the registered positive economic growth was the gross fixed capital formation - an increase of 11.4% and final consumption - an increase of 6.2%. During the second quarter of 2026, an increase was recorded in the exports of goods and services - by 0.2%, while the imports of goods and services increased by 8.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Methodological notes
The quarterly estimates of national accounts for GDP and its components are developed in accordance with the methodological principles of the European System of Accounts, 2010 - adopted by Council Regulation No. 549/2013 EC.
The survey has been conducted regularly since 1996. The time series are available on the website of NSI (www.nsi.bg).
The results are preliminary. They are based on the available monthly and quarterly statistical and administrative information, and are updated annually (9 months after the end of the year) based on data from the annual exhaustive surveys and updated administrative information.
The GDP at market prices is the final result of the economic activity of resident institutional units. GDP is derived by the following three approaches:
- GDP is the sum of GVA generated by institutional sectors or economic activity groupings plus taxes minus subsidies on products.
- GDP by final expenditure is calculated as the sum of individual consumption, collective consumption, gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories, and net exports of goods and services.
- GDP by the income approach is the sum of compensation of employees, net taxes on production, gross operating surplus, and gross mixed income.
The seasonal adjustment of statistical indicators in NSI is performed using the software developed by Eurostat - product JDemetra+, whereby applied the algorithm TRAMO/SEATS. A direct method of seasonal adjustment is applied, in which the aggregates and their components are adjusted independently.
GDP data for the period 2018 - 2022 are subject to revision due to the implementation of a final estimate for National Accounts - SUT table. The data will be published on 20.10.2026.
Annex
| Indicators | Value at current prices, Million EUR | GVA - Share, % | GDP - Share, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gross Value Added by economic sector (2+3+4): | 26 318.9 | 100.0 | 86.9 |
| 2. Agriculture | 635.4 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| 3. Industry | 6 641.8 | 25.2 | 21.9 |
| 4. Services | 19 041.7 | 72.4 | 62.9 |
| 5. Adjustments | 3 973.6 | 13.1 | |
| 6. Gross Domestic Product (1+5=7+10+13+16) | 30 292.5 | 100.0 | |
| by final use components: | |||
| 7. Final consumption (8+9) | 23 926.9 | 79.0 | |
| 8. Individual | 21 124.8 | 69.7 | |
| 9. Collective | 2 802.1 | 9.3 | |
| 10. Gross capital formation (11+12) | 7 410.4 | 24.5 | |
| 11. Gross fixed capital formation | 6 957.1 | 23.0 | |
| 12. Change in inventories | 453.3 | 1.5 | |
| 13. Balance, exports - imports (14 - 15) | -1 044.8 | -3.5 | |
| 14. Exports of goods and services | 15 697.8 | 51.8 | |
| 15. Imports of goods and services | 16 742.7 | 55.3 | |
| 16. Statistical discrepancy | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Indicators | Growth rate, third quarter 2025 compared to the previous quarter, % | Growth rate, fourth quarter 2025 compared to the previous quarter, % | Growth rate, first quarter 2026 compared to the previous quarter, % | Growth rate, second quarter 2026 compared to the previous quarter, % | Growth rate, third quarter 2025 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, % | Growth rate, fourth quarter 2025 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, % | Growth rate, first quarter 2026 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, % | Growth rate, second quarter 2026 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gross Value Added by economic sector: | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| 2. Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 2.3 | 0.7 | -0.3 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 3.8 |
| 3. Mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply, waste management and remediation activities | -0.2 | -2.1 | -0.7 | -0.3 | -2.6 | -4.4 | -4.6 | -3.2 |
| 4. Construction | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| 5. Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
| 6. Information and communication | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| 7. Financial and insurance activities | 1.3 | 2.2 | -0.6 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
| 8. Real estate activities | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 4.5 |
| 9. Professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| 10. Public administration and defence; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work activities | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 2.9 |
| 11. Arts, entertainment and recreation, repair of household goods and other services | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| 12. Adjustments | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 5.3 |
| 13. Gross Domestic Product | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| by final use components: | ||||||||
| 14. Final consumption | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 6.2 |
| 15. Individual | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| 16. Collective | -2.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -0.4 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.2 | -2.7 |
| 17. Gross capital formation | 6.4 | 2.0 | 4.0 | -1.2 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 16.6 | 11.4 |
| 18. Gross fixed capital formation | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 10.0 | 11.8 | 8.7 | 8.4 |
| 19. Change in inventories | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| 20. Balance (exports - imports) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| 21. Exports of goods and services | -2.0 | 2.6 | -5.3 | 5.2 | -4.7 | -0.5 | -7.1 | 0.2 |
| 22. Imports of goods and services | 2.7 | 8.9 | -1.2 | -1.8 | 3.9 | 11.2 | 8.2 | 8.5 |
[1] Growth rate is calculated using seasonally adjusted, chain-linked estimates of the GDP components based on average 2020 prices.
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