Bulgaria Business Confidence Improves in July

2026-07-30 08:39 By Nicole Aliyah 1 min. read

Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index rose to 17.2 in July 2026 from 16.1 in June, though it remained below the long-term average of 21.4.

The increase reflected an improved assessment of the current business situation (20.4 vs 18.3 in June), while expectations for the next six months were unchanged at 14.0.

Despite the better sentiment, current production activity (-5.4 vs -3.3) and total orders (-20.2 vs -17.9) weakened, with both domestic (-24.8 vs -22.1) and foreign orders (-26.5 vs -25.6) declining further.

Production expectations eased (8.4 vs 8.7), employment expectations turned negative (-1.8 vs 0.7).

Labour shortages (33.3% vs 32.4%) and weaker domestic (26.2% vs 25.3%) and foreign demand (25.3% vs 22.4%) became more pressing, while concerns over the uncertain economic environment eased (43.6% vs 46.9%).



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Bulgaria Business Confidence Improves in July
Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index rose to 17.2 in July 2026 from 16.1 in June, though it remained below the long-term average of 21.4. The increase reflected an improved assessment of the current business situation (20.4 vs 18.3 in June), while expectations for the next six months were unchanged at 14.0. Despite the better sentiment, current production activity (-5.4 vs -3.3) and total orders (-20.2 vs -17.9) weakened, with both domestic (-24.8 vs -22.1) and foreign orders (-26.5 vs -25.6) declining further. Production expectations eased (8.4 vs 8.7), employment expectations turned negative (-1.8 vs 0.7). Labour shortages (33.3% vs 32.4%) and weaker domestic (26.2% vs 25.3%) and foreign demand (25.3% vs 22.4%) became more pressing, while concerns over the uncertain economic environment eased (43.6% vs 46.9%).
2026-07-30
Bulgaria Business Confidence Weakens
Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index declined to 16.1 in June 2026 from an eight-month high of 18.4 in May, remaining below the long-term average of 21.4. The figure reflects more subdued assessments from industrial entrepreneurs regarding the current business situation (-3.3 vs -2.2 in May). At the same time, expectations for production activity over the next three months turned more negative (8.7 vs 11.4), while employment prospects over the same period also weakened (0.7 vs 2.5). The uncertain economic environment and labour shortages continue to be the main obstacles to business development, cited by 46.9% and 32.4% of enterprises, respectively. Regarding selling prices, most managers expect them to remain unchanged over the next three months, suggesting limited near-term inflationary pressure in the sector.
2026-06-30
Bulgaria Business Mood Hits 8-Month High
Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index climbed to 18.4 in May 2026, picking up from a more than five-year low of 12.4 in the previous month. The reading was the highest since September 2025, as firms assessed the current business situation more favorably (23.2 vs 14.2 in April), despite present production activity turning negative (-2.2 vs 3.3). At the same time, expectations for production activity over the next three months improved (11.4 vs 9.4), while the employment outlook for the same period returned to positive territory (2.5 vs -0.1). Meanwhile, selling price expectations for the next three months eased (14.7 vs 18.9). Key limiting factors included economic uncertainty (48.4), labor shortages (32.7), weak domestic (23.7) and foreign (22.0) demand, as well as weaknesses in economic legislation (14.2).
2026-05-29