Bulgaria’s Q4 GDP Growth Slows to 2.9 Percent Amid Rising Imports

In the final quarter of 2025, Bulgaria’s economy showed signs of slowing, with gross domestic product (GDP) rising by 2.9 percent year-on-year, down from 3.1 percent in the same period of 2024. Seasonally adjusted data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) also indicate that GDP growth on a quarterly basis reached 0.8 percent in Q3 2025, matching the previous year’s figure. Early in 2025, GDP had expanded by 3.1 percent year-on-year in Q1, with a quarterly rise of 0.6 percent.

Examining annual changes, gross value added in Q4 2025 grew by 2 percent. Household final consumption rose 7.2 percent, while gross fixed capital formation expanded by 10.1 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. In contrast, exports of goods and services declined slightly by 0.1 percent, and imports climbed 9.5 percent, contributing to a negative foreign trade balance.

Quarterly figures show that gross value added increased by 0.4 percent in Q4. The NSI’s preliminary estimates attribute this growth to a 2.1 percent rise in gross fixed capital formation and a 1.3 percent increase in final consumption compared to the previous quarter.

Measured in current prices, Bulgaria’s GDP for Q4 2025 reached 65.352 billion leva (around 33.4 billion euros), while gross value added totaled 56.589 billion leva (28.9 billion euros). Final consumption remains the largest component of GDP, accounting for 81.4 percent, while gross capital formation represents 24.7 percent. The data underline that although domestic demand continues to drive growth, slowing exports and rising imports are weighing on the overall economic expansion.