Preliminary data of the NSI for the first quarter of 2022 indicate that the total hourly labour cost rose by 12.7% compared to the first quarter of 2021.
In 2021, price levels for consumer goods and services differed widely across the EU Member States.
Widest is the gap for ‘Restaurants and hotels’ and ‘Alcohol and tobacco’.
GDP per capita ranged from 55% to 277% of the EU average.
The number of health establishments for hospital aid as of 31.12.2021 was 341 with 54 491 beds. 319 of them were hospitals with 52 246 beds.
The number of out-patient health establishments was 2 133 with 1 285 beds and other health establishments were 151 with 1 939 beds in them.
At the end of 2021 29 604 physicians were in practice under the basic labour contracts in health establishments. Dentists were 7 499, as 6 585 worked in practices that had signed а contract with National Health Insurance Fund. Medical specialists in ‘Health cares’ who worked on a basic labour contract in health establishments were 44 451. 28 816 of them were nurses and 3 264 - midwives.
The consumer price index in May 2022 compared to April 2022 was 101.2%, i.e. the monthly inflation was 1.2%.
In the period January - March 2022, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU increased by 36.9% compared to the same period of 2021 and amounted to 14 203.8 million BGN, while the imports of goods to Bulgaria from the EU grew by 31.0% and reached 13 842.0 million BGN.
In March 2022, the exports to the EU increased by 49.4% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and amounted to 5 598.9 million BGN, while the imports grew by 32.4% and added up to 5 292.8 million BGN.
In the period January - April 2022, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries increased by 27.5% compared to the same period of 2021 and amounted to 9 224.7 million BGN, while the imports of goods from third countries grew by 58.3% and added up to 14 385.0 million BGN.
In the period January - April 2022, the total value of all exported goods to third countries and the EU amounted to 28 781.3 million BGN, which is 33.6% more 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 32 678.7 million BGN and grew by 40.5%.
According to the preliminary data, in April 2022, the index of production in section ‘Construction’ calculated on the basis of seasonally adjusted data was 0.6% below the level of the previous month. In April 2022, the calendar adjusted index of production in construction decreased by 2.4% in comparison with the same month of 2021.
According to the preliminary seasonally adjusted data in April 2022, the turnover in ‘Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles’ at constant prices decreased by 0.8% compared to the previous month. The calendar-adjusted turnover rose by 5.7% compared to the same month of the previous year.
According to the preliminary data in April 2022, the Industrial Production Index, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 0.4% compared to March 2022.
In April 2022, the calendar adjusted Industrial Production Index rose by 16.9% in comparison with the same month of 2021.