Bulgaria’s Annual Inflation Hits 5.2% in November, Prices Rise Modestly in Key Sectors

In November 2025, Bulgaria recorded an annual inflation rate of 5.2 percent, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Monthly inflation for the same period reached 0.5 percent. Since the start of the year, comparing November 2025 to December 2024, inflation accumulated to 4.8 percent, while the average annual inflation over the period from December 2024 to November 2025 stood at 4.4 percent, based on data from the National Statistical Institute.

When measured using the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), which allows comparison across EU countries and is a benchmark for price stability and Bulgaria’s eurozone accession, inflation in November 2025 was 0.2 percent on a monthly basis and 3.7 percent annually. Year-to-date inflation based on HICP reached 3.3 percent, with the average annual rate for the past twelve months at 3.4 percent. The HICP standard indicates that inflation in a candidate country for the euro should not exceed by more than 1.5 percentage points the rate observed in the three best-performing EU states.

Cumulative inflation in Bulgaria over the past three years, measured by CPI, reached 13.2 percent compared to November 2022, while five-year cumulative inflation stood at 42 percent relative to November 2020. For the last 30 months, annual CPI inflation has remained in single digits and showed a declining trend. It first dropped below double digits in June 2023, at 8.7 percent, after reaching a peak of 18.7 percent in September 2022, the highest level recorded since January 2022.

Price movements in November 2025 varied across consumer groups. Deflation occurred in Communications (-1 percent) and Clothing and Footwear (-0.1 percent). Meanwhile, increases were observed in several sectors, with Entertainment and Culture rising 3.7 percent, Transport 1.3 percent, Restaurants and Hotels 0.6 percent, Miscellaneous Goods and Services 0.4 percent, Health Care 0.2 percent, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco 0.1 percent, Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages 0.1 percent, and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels 0.1 percent. Prices remained unchanged in Education, Home Furnishings, Household Goods and Services, and Routine Home Maintenance.