Housing Permits Up, Offices Down in Bulgaria

In the first quarter of 2025, Bulgaria saw a notable rise in residential building permits, while approvals for office construction fell, according to the National Statistical Institute, CE Report quotes BTA

Authorities issued 2,084 residential building permits—an 8.8% increase from the previous quarter—covering 10,576 dwellings and 1.3 million sq m in total floor area. In contrast, permits for office buildings dropped by 20% to 12, with floor area shrinking by 89.3% to 3,724 sq m. Permits for other buildings declined by 8.9%.

Compared to Q1 2024, residential permits rose by 14.3%, while office building approvals plunged by 55.6%. Construction began on 1,431 residential buildings (down 7% from Q4 2024), but the number of dwellings fell sharply by 29.2%. However, office building starts doubled, with a 15.3% increase in floor area.

Plovdiv, Sofia City, Sofia Region, Varna, and Burgas recorded the highest number of new residential building permits and construction starts.