Bulgaria's economy will grow by 3 percent this year. In 2026, the growth rate will slow to 2.7 percent, the Ministry of Finance writes in its Autumn Macroeconomic Forecast. The analysis has been uploaded to the ministry's website. Compared to the spring forecast, the Ministry of Finance maintains its expectations for growth in 2025 and slightly increases its expectations for 2026 by 0.2%.

The annual inflation rate recorded a slight acceleration to 4.1 percent according to the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices in September 2025. Inflation by the end of the year is forecast to slow to 3.9 percent, and its average annual value is expected to be 3.6 percent.

Bulgaria's gross external debt - GED (public and private) increased by 20.2 percent year-on-year to 53.605 billion euros at the end of August, the Bulgarian National Bank reported. At the end of the same period in 2024, GED was 44.590 billion euros. The amount of GED is 47.7% of the country's projected GDP, compared to 42.6% for the same period in 2024.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photo: BTA