Economy Overview
Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU in 2007, has an open economy that historically has demonstrated strong growth, but its per-capita income remains the lowest among EU members and its reliance on energy imports and foreign demand for its exports makes its growth sensitive to external market conditions.; The government undertook significant structural economic reforms in the 1990s to move the economy from a centralized, planned economy to a more liberal, market-driven economy. These reforms included privatization of state-owned enterprises, liberalization of trade, and strengthening of the tax system - changes that initially caused some economic hardships but later helped to attract investment, spur growth, and make gradual improvements to living conditions. From 2000 through 2008, Bulgaria maintained robust, average annual real GDP growth in excess of 6%, which was followed by a deep recession in 2009 as the financial crisis caused domestic demand, exports, capital inflows and industrial production to contract, prompting the government to rein in spending. Real GDP growth remained slow - less than 2% annually - until 2015, when demand from EU countries for Bulgarian exports, plus an inflow of EU development funds, boosted growth to more than 3%. In recent years, strong domestic demand combined with low international energy prices have contributed to Bulgaria’s economic growth approaching 4% and have also helped to ease inflation. Bulgaria’s prudent public financial management contributed to budget surpluses both in 2016 and 2017.; Bulgaria is heavily reliant on energy imports from Russia, a potential vulnerability, and is a participant in EU-backed efforts to diversify regional natural gas supplies. In late 2016, the Bulgarian Government provided funding to Bulgaria’s National Electric Company to cover the $695 million compensation owed to Russian nuclear equipment manufacturer Atomstroyexport for the cancellation of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project, which the Bulgarian Government terminated in 2012. As of early 2018, the government was floating the possibility of resurrecting the Belene project. The natural gas market, dominated by state-owned Bulgargaz, is also almost entirely supplied by Russia. Infrastructure projects such as the Inter-Connector Greece-Bulgaria and Inter-Connector Bulgaria-Serbia, which would enable Bulgaria to have access to non-Russian gas, have either stalled or made limited progress. In 2016, the Bulgarian Government established the State eGovernment Agency. This new agency is responsible for the electronic governance, coordinating national policies with the EU, and strengthening cybersecurity.; Despite a favorable investment regime, including low, flat corporate income taxes, significant challenges remain. Corruption in public administration, a weak judiciary, low productivity, lack of transparency in public procurements, and the presence of organized crime continue to hamper the country's investment climate and economic prospects.;
Agriculture Products
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock
Industries
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers
Industrial Production Growth Rate
3.6% (2017 est.); country comparison to the world: 80;
Labor Force
3.357 million (2017 est.); note: number of employed persons; country comparison to the world: 102;
Unemployment Rate
6.2% (2017 est.); 7.7% (2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 93;
Population Below Poverty Line
23.4% (2016 est.);
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 31.2% (2017)
Highest 10%: 31.2% (2017)
Distribution of Family Income Gini Index
40.2 (2017); 38.3 (2016); country comparison to the world: 64;
Budget
Revenues: 20.35 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 19.35 billion (2017 est.)
Public Debt
23.9% of GDP (2017 est.); 27.4% of GDP (2016 est.); note: defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds; country comparison to the world: 181;
Central Bank Discount Rate
0% (31 December 2017); 0.01% (31 December 2015); note: Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has had no independent monetary policy since the introduction of the Currency Board regime in 1997; this is BNB's base interest rate; country comparison to the world: 149;
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Stock of Narrow Money
$29.27 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $22.01 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 63;
Stock of Broad Money
$29.27 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $22.01 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 63;
Stock of Domestic Credit
$33.44 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $27.57 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 77;
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
$14.49 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $5.205 billion (31 December 2016 est.); $4.797 billion (31 December 2015 est.); country comparison to the world: 68;
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
$28.38 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $25.13 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 51;
Debt External
$42.06 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $35.98 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 72;
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
$46.92 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $45.26 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 59;
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
$5.868 billion (31 December 2017 est.); $4.988 billion (31 December 2016 est.); country comparison to the world: 73;
Exchange Rates
leva (BGN) per US dollar -; 1.63 (2017 est.); 1.86 (2016 est.); 1.768 (2015 est.); 1.7644 (2014 est.); 1.4742 (2013 est.);
