Bulgaria Business Confidence Weakens in August

2026-08-28 08:34 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index fell to 16.3 in August 2026 from 17.2 in the previous month.

This reflected weaker assessments of the present business situation (18.0 vs 20.4 in July), despite improved expectations for the next six months (14.7 vs 14.0).

Production assessments for the next three months also eased to 5.5 from 8.4, while employment expectations deteriorated to -3.6 from -1.8.

Insufficient foreign demand became a more pressing constraint (27.3% vs 25.3%), while labour shortages eased (29.0% vs 33.3%) and concerns over the uncertain economic environment were broadly unchanged (43.3% vs 43.6%).

Selling price expectations increased to 11.9 from 10.4.

Meanwhile, current production activity improved slightly (-4.3 vs -5.4), while total orders also increased (-18.9 vs -20.2), supported by stronger domestic (-24.0 vs -24.8) and foreign orders (-22.7 vs -26.5).



News Stream
Bulgaria Business Confidence Weakens in August
Bulgaria’s industrial business climate index fell to 16.3 in August 2026 from 17.2 in the previous month. This reflected weaker assessments of the present business situation (18.0 vs 20.4 in July), despite improved expectations for the next six months (14.7 vs 14.0). Production assessments for the next three months also eased to 5.5 from 8.4, while employment expectations deteriorated to -3.6 from -1.8. Insufficient foreign demand became a more pressing constraint (27.3% vs 25.3%), while labour shortages eased (29.0% vs 33.3%) and concerns over the uncertain economic environment were broadly unchanged (43.3% vs 43.6%). Selling price expectations increased to 11.9 from 10.4. Meanwhile, current production activity improved slightly (-4.3 vs -5.4), while total orders also increased (-18.9 vs -20.2), supported by stronger domestic (-24.0 vs -24.8) and foreign orders (-22.7 vs -26.5).
2026-08-28
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