National Statistical Institute

According to data from the National Statistical Institute, food represents the largest share of expenses for Bulgarian tourists, both domestically and internationally. For trips within Bulgaria, more than 40% of the travel budget is allocated to food, while this figure is 34.3% for travel abroad.

The ice cream industry in Bulgaria is facing a significant decline, with production dropping between 60 and 70% over the past six years. Eurostat data reveals that in 2018, Bulgaria produced 29.6 million liters of ice cream, marking the highest output ever.

In July, the number of Bulgarians traveling abroad for vacation or excursions rose by just over 11% compared to the same month last year, according to the National Statistical Institute. During this period, the largest portion of Bulgarian trips abroad was for leisure and excursions, making up 47.4% of the total, followed by trips for other purposes at 37.0%, and business trips at 15.6%.

Bulgaria's foreign trade has been experiencing a decline since the start of the year, according to recent data from the National Statistical Institute.

In June, Bulgaria saw a notable increase in the total number of overnight stays in hotels and other accommodation, reaching 3.5 million, which marks a 5.9% rise from the previous year, according to the National Statistical Institute.

President Rumen Radev has appointed Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva as the new acting Prime Minister of Bulgaria. This appointment follows Dimitar Glavchev's recent withdrawal from the position. According to a press release from the President's office, Grancharova-Kozhareva, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Audit Chamber, has been designated to form an interim government.

According to recent data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), residential property prices in Bulgaria surged by 16% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, marking the highest growth rate since 2022. This increase is notably higher than the 10% rise observed in 2023.

In May 2024, Bulgaria's industrial production saw a decline, with the index dropping by 3.3% compared to the previous month and 6.3% compared to the same period last year, marking the 17th consecutive month of annual contraction, according to the national statistics office.

In May, revenues from overnight stays in Bulgarian hotels saw a significant surge of 32.2% compared to the same period in 2023, totaling BGN 116 million, as reported by the National Statistical Institute. Foreign tourists contributed BGN 58.8 million to this total, slightly surpassing the BGN 57.1 million brought in by Bulgarian guests.

In 2023, Bulgaria's population has declined by 2,229 people (0.03%), the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat) reported on July 11, World Population Day.

As of December 31, 2021, the population of Bulgaria numbered 6,445,481 people, according to the country's National Statistical Institute.