The latest market, economy, central-bank, policy and company stories from Bulgaria, updated every 15 minutes. Last updated 19 October 2026.
| GDP growth (2025) | 3.1% | Moderate growth. |
| Inflation (2025) | 4.6% | Above the usual central-bank targets. |
| Unemployment (2025) | 3.5% | Low: the job market is tight. |
| GDP per person (2025) | $20,328 | Average output per person: a rough measure of how wealthy a country is. |
| Current account (2025) | -5.8% of GDP | Deficit: spends more abroad than it earns, so it relies on foreign money. |
| Exports (2025) | 50.7% of GDP | Very trade-dependent: sensitive to tariffs and global demand. |
Latest official annual figures from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). Context, not a forecast or financial advice.
Bulgaria has seen the second spate of drone attacks on merchant ships off its coast in the past week. Russia has been accused of repeatedly targeting civilian cargo ships in the area.
The EU wants more trade via the "Middle Corridor," which could bring big benefits for Bulgaria. But Tuesday's drone attacks on commercial ships off the Bulgarian coast is a stark reminder of the security risks involved.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev revealed that drones targeted two commercial ships in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone, leading to alarming consequences. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank after critical damage, while the Able vessel from Palau caught fire.
Bulgarian authorities on Tuesday launched a search for missing crew members of a boat that sank in its economic zone in the Black Sea after drones hit two merchant vessels. Black Sea shipping has been hit by growing fallout from the war in Ukraine in recent months.