Bulgaria Business Confidence Falls in March

2026-03-30 09:14 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

Bulgaria’s business climate in industry eased to 15.0 in March 2026 from 16.3 in February.

Constraining factors included economic uncertainty (47.3%), labour shortages (34.2%), weak domestic (24.9%) and foreign demand (24.9%), and weaknesses in economic legislation (17.9%).

Firms reported a weaker current business situation (16.2 vs 19.0), while present production activity was largely unchanged (-0.3 vs -9.2).

Total orders continued to decline (-15.7 vs -22.1), as well as stocks of finished goods (-2.1 vs -1.9), while selling price expectations rose (10.9 vs 8.8), signaling that firms anticipate higher costs or intend to pass them on to customers.

Employment expectations softened (3.1 vs 4.6), and uncertainty about the business environment remained elevated (-8.8 vs -9.2).

Production expectations over the next three months improved (13.5 vs 12.3), while six-month business expectations rose slightly (13.9 vs 13.6).



News Stream
Bulgaria Business Confidence Falls in March
Bulgaria’s business climate in industry eased to 15.0 in March 2026 from 16.3 in February. Constraining factors included economic uncertainty (47.3%), labour shortages (34.2%), weak domestic (24.9%) and foreign demand (24.9%), and weaknesses in economic legislation (17.9%). Firms reported a weaker current business situation (16.2 vs 19.0), while present production activity was largely unchanged (-0.3 vs -9.2). Total orders continued to decline (-15.7 vs -22.1), as well as stocks of finished goods (-2.1 vs -1.9), while selling price expectations rose (10.9 vs 8.8), signaling that firms anticipate higher costs or intend to pass them on to customers. Employment expectations softened (3.1 vs 4.6), and uncertainty about the business environment remained elevated (-8.8 vs -9.2). Production expectations over the next three months improved (13.5 vs 12.3), while six-month business expectations rose slightly (13.9 vs 13.6).
2026-03-30
Bulgaria Business Confidence Hits 10-Month High
Bulgaria’s business climate in industry rose to 16.3 in February 2026 from 15.5 in the previous month. This marked the highest reading since April 2025, as firms reported an improved current business situation (19.0 vs 16.6), while production expectations for the next three months strengthened further (12.3 vs 10.5) and employment outlook picked up (4.6 vs 1.8). Six-month business expectations, however, eased slightly (13.6 vs 14.5). At the same time, current production activity weakened further (-9.2 vs -6.2), and total orders continued to decline (-22.1 vs -18.2), with both domestic (-21.9 vs -17.8) and foreign demand (-30.4 vs -26.4) deteriorating. Stocks of finished goods fell marginally (-1.9 vs -2.1), while selling price expectations moderated (8.8 vs 12.8). Uncertainty about the future business environment remained elevated, though it improved somewhat from the previous month (-9.2 vs -11.6).
2026-02-27
Bulgaria Business Confidence Improves in January
Bulgaria’s business climate in industry rose to 15.5 in January 2026 from 12.5 in the previous month. Six-month business expectations strengthened (14.5 vs 10.6), while the employment outlook improved (1.8 vs 1.2). Stocks of finished goods declined at a slower pace (-2.1 vs -2.5), and fewer firms reported no difficulties (14 vs 12.8). Firms continued to cite an uncertain economic environment (46.8 vs 50.5) and labor shortages (34.5 vs 34.8) as their main challenges, although both showed modest improvement. On the downside, current production activity worsened (-6.2 vs -2.9), and total orders deteriorated (-18.2 vs -15.3), with both domestic (-17.8 vs -20.3) and foreign demand (-26.4 vs -27.7) remaining weak. Industrial confidence fell (-1.9 vs -1.3), and production expectations for the next three months edged slightly lower (10.5 vs 10.6). Selling prices are also expected to decrease (12.8 vs 14.8).
2026-01-30