Bulgaria records one of EU's sharpest industrial declines

The sustained decline in Bulgaria's industrial production, which began in early 2023, continued in May 2026, when the country recorded the second-largest decrease in industrial output among EU Member States, according to data published by Eurostat on Wednesday.

Bulgaria's industrial production contracted by 4.7% year-on-year in May, following a 3.8% decline in April. Among EU countries with available data, only Ireland registered a steeper drop, at 19.7%, CE Report quotes BTA.

Industrial output in Bulgaria has been declining since the beginning of 2023, with the sharpest contraction during the period recorded in November 2023, when it fell by 12%. According to Eurostat data, Bulgaria posted annual declines in every month of 2023 and in 10 months of 2024, with growth recorded only in September and November.

The country's industrial sector also weakened throughout all 12 months of 2025. Bulgaria recorded the largest year-on-year declines in the EU in October, September, August, July, June and March 2025.

At the beginning of 2026, the contraction in Bulgaria's industrial sector accelerated to 9.9%, with only Ireland posting a larger decline, at 13.1%, among EU countries. The decrease slowed to 8.7% in February and was followed by growth of 4.7% in March, the first increase since November 2024.

Compared with April 2026, Bulgaria's industrial production decreased by 0.2% in May, significantly less than the 4.6% monthly decline registered in the previous month.

Last week, the National Statistical Institute reported that, according to its Industrial Production Index, Bulgaria's industrial production declined by 0.2% month-on-month in May and by 4.8% compared with the same month of 2025.

Across the euro area and the EU, industrial production in May 2026 was down by 1.2% and 0.3%, respectively, compared with May 2025. In the euro area, output of durable and non-durable consumer goods decreased by 3% and 10.7%, respectively. A similar trend was observed across the EU, where durable consumer goods production declined by 1.7% and non-durable goods output by 8.1%.

On a monthly basis, compared with April, industrial production in May fell by 0.2% in the euro area and by 0.1% in the EU.

According to revised Eurostat estimates, industrial production in April increased by 0.3% month-on-month in the euro area and by 0.2% in the EU, while compared with April 2025 it rose by 0.4% and 0.9%, respectively.

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