Press releases

In the third quarter of 2023, the municipal authorities issued building permits for the construction of 2 107 residential buildings with 9 805 dwellings, 25 administrative buildings/offices and 1 253 other buildings.

The issued building permits for new residential buildings fewer by 2.4% as compared to the third quarter of 2022. The issued building permits for administrative buildings and other buildings have shown an increase by 78.6% and 3.3% respectively.

The construction of 1 528 residential buildings with 7 576 dwellings, 17 administrative buildings/offices and 618 other buildings was started.

As compared to the third quarter of 2022, the number of started new residential buildings and other buildings decreased by 2.0% and 7.6% respectively. The number of started administrative buildings increased by 54.5%.

In September 2023, revenues of the subsector ‘Central Govermnent’ were reported in the amount of BGN 3 836.52  million and expenses – BGN 4 474.45  million, and for the subsector ‘Social Security Funds’ the revenues amounted to BGN 2 558.87  million, and the costs are BGN 2 447.90  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'.

The data for the second quarter of 2023 have been published for revenues, expenses and deficit/surplus of the ‘General Government’ sector by sub-sectors: sub-sector ‘Central Government’, sub-sector ‘Local Government’ and sub-sector ‘Social Insurance Funds’, in accordance with Article 3(2) of Directive 2011/85 of the EU. The data are based on cash reports and trial balances on accrual basis of the budgetary units, as well as quarterly data on the public enterprises reclassified in the sector.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Government Finance Statistics'.

In 2022, the total amount of expenditure on research and development activity (R&D) was 1 265.6 million BGN, which was 17.8% more than the previous year. The annual growth tendency is retained for the period 2018 - 2022. 

R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product) amounted to 0.75% and it was 0.02 percentage points lower than in 2021.

Regarding R&D expenditure by fields of science in 2022, as in the previous year, the highest share belonged to the R&D expenditure in technical sciences - 50.5% (638.6 million BGN), followed by medical and health sciences with a share of 20.5% (259.3 million BGN) and the natural sciences - 17.2% (217.1 million BGN).

In 2022, the personnel engaged in research and development activity amounted to 27 090 persons (in full-time equivalent), which was 7.8% more than the previous year. The share of women in total R&D personnel was 47.1%. The number of researchers in full-time equivalent was 17 487 persons, which was 7.7% more compared to 2021.

Data on Annual financial accounts by institutional sectors for 2022 has been published.

The Annual national financial accounts for Bulgaria are compiled in compliance with the requirements of the European system of national and regional accounts (ESA) 2010.

Data on Annual financial accounts includes assets and liabilities for stocks and transactions of financial instruments, broken down by institutional sectors of the economy, as well as balancing items - Financial net worth and Net financial transactions.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Financial national accounts'.

Data on Taxes and social contributions as part of the General Government sector for 2022 has been published. They are classified in the following main categories: taxes on production and imports, taxes on income and wealth, taxes on capital and Social security contributions. The indicators are presented in accordance with the ESA 2010 and the transmission programme. They include detailed descriptions of the taxes and social security contributions which form the income of General Government sector and its sub-sectors (Central Government, Local Government and social security) and the institutions of the EU (S.212).

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Government Finance Statistics'.

Data under Directive 85/2011 of the EU for 2022 have been published in the following categories:

1. Annual data on Non-performing loans of General government institutional sector has been published. The data covers the period 2013-2022 and is broken down by subsectors of General government. According to ESA 2010 sector “General government” consist of three sub – sectors: “General government”, “Local government” and “Social security funds”.
2. Data on the government participation in the capital of institutional units for the period 2013-2022 has been published. This data is derived from the annual reports of enterprises that BNSI collects on the basis of the Law on Statistics and it is represented as a percentage of the gross domestic product. The enterprises are broken down by institutional sectors according to the European system of national and regional accounts (ESA) 2010 into sector S.11 Non-financial enterprises, sector S.12 Financial enterprises and sector S.2 Rest of the world. For the purposes of this publication a government enterprise is an enterprise where the government participation in its capital is at least 50%.
3. Data on the guaranteed debt of General government institutional sector has been published. The data covers the period 2008-2022 and is broken down by subsectors of General government – Central government and Local government; as well as by individual and standardized guarantees.

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Government Finance Statistics'.

In 2021, the total value of the produced environmental goods and services amounted to 8 505 million BGN, which is 16.6% more compared to 2020 (7 296 million BGN). The output increased the most in the sector of specialized producers of environmental goods and services - Production and distribution of electrical and thermal energy and gaseous fuels; Water supply; Sewerage services, waste management and recovery (D_E) - 23.2%, and has the largest decrease - in the Construction sector (F) - 36%. The gross value added grows the most in the sector Production and distribution of electricity, heat, and gaseous fuels; Water supply; Sewage services, waste management and recovery (D_E) by 20%, and decreases the most in Construction (F) by 40%. The employment has the largest increase in the Mining and quarrying; Manufacturing sector (B_C) by 13.1%, and the largest decrease in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sector (A) by 5.4%.

EGSS comprises all sectors of the economy that produce goods and services aimed at environmental protection and resource management. Environmental protection activities include the prevention, reduction, and removal of pollution in nature. Natural resource management activities aim to protect natural resources from depletion. The environmental goods and services sector provides data on output, value-added, exports, and employment, according to the System of Environmental Economic Accounts (SEEA SF 2012).

Detailed data can be found on the NSI website under the heading 'Environment', Environmental goods and services.

In October 2023, the total business climate indicator decreases by 2.7 percentage points compared to the previous month. A reduction of the indicator is observed in the industry, construction and retail trade, while in the service sector, an increase is registered.

The uncertain economic environment, shortage of labour, competition in the branch and costs of materials remain the most serious difficulties for the business development in sectors.

The Total Producer Price Index in Industry rose by 1.6% in September 2023 compared to the previous month. An increase of 4.1% was registered in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, and in the manufacturing industry by 0.9%. In the mining and quarrying industry the prices fell by 1.3%. 

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market went up by 2.0% in September compared to August 2023. The domestic prices increased in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply by 4.0%, in the mining and quarrying industry by 2.8%, and in the manufacturing industry by 0.8%.

The Total Producer Price Index went down by 24.3% in September 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. There was a considerable decline in prices in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply by 56.7%, and in the mining and quarrying industry by 4.5%. In the manufacturing industry marked a rise by 0.4%.

The Producer Price Index on the Domestic Market decreased by 32.0% compared to September 2022. Lower prices were reported in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - by 56.3%, and in the mining and quarrying industry - by 3.3%, while prices in the manufacturing industry rose by 0.5%.