Yugozapadna i Yuzhna tsentralna Bulgaria
NUTS 1 BG4 Part of: Bulgaria
Source: Eurostat, NUTS 2024 classification. Extracted on 2026-10-17. Compiled by IPEF. · Regions of Bulgaria →
Population on 1 January3,329,4742025+0.2% year on year GDP per capita in PPS, EU27 = 100822024+4 year on year1 of 2 · BulgariaUnemployment rate (15–74)2.4%2025-0.4 pp year on year1 of 2 · BulgariaHousehold disposable income per inhabitant16,100 PPS2023+14.2% year on year1 of 2 · BulgariaLife expectancy at birth76.62024+0.1 year on year1 of 2 · BulgariaPopulation aged 25–64 with tertiary education38.6%2025+1.7 pp year on year1 of 2 · Bulgaria
How it compares with the regions of Europe
Each grey dot is a NUTS 1 region of Europe, for the period most of them publish. Yugozapadna i Yuzhna… in blue; the dashed line marks the EU-27 average. Better values to the right.
Compare with
Regional economy
12
| Indicator | Period | Value | Year-on-year change | Trend | Bulgaria | Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Rank NUTS 1 | |||||
| Regional GDPM€ | 2024 | 67,151 M€ | +12.4% | — | 1 / 2 | 78 / 108 | |
| GDP per capita€ per inhabitant | 2024 | 20,200 € | +12.2% | 16,300 € | 1 / 2 | 81 / 108 | |
| GDP per capita in purchasing power standardsPPS per inhabitant | 2024 | 32,700 PPS | +10.1% | 26,300 PPS | 1 / 2 | 63 / 108 | |
| GDP per capita in PPS, EU27 = 100index EU27 = 100 | 2024 | 82 | +4 | 66 | 1 / 2 | 62 / 108 | |
| Gross value addedM€ | 2024 | 58,586 M€ | +11.9% | — | 1 / 2 | 78 / 108 | |
| Industry gross value addedM€ | 2024 | 8,354 M€ | +0.5% | — | 2 / 2 | 60 / 79 | |
| GVA of public administration, education and healthM€ | 2024 | 8,981 M€ | +17.9% | — | 1 / 2 | 54 / 74 | |
| Total employmentthousand persons | 2024 | 1,991.0 | +0.8% | — | 1 / 2 | 49 / 94 | |
| Number of active enterprisesenterprises | 2023 | 237,619 | +2.5% | — | 1 / 2 | 51 / 89 | |
| Enterprise birth rate% | 2023 | 10.7% | +0.6 pp | 10.7% | 2 / 2 | 38 / 89 | |
| Nights spent at tourist accommodationnights | 2025 | 9,317,025 | +6.3% | — | 2 / 2 | 84 / 112 | |
| Tourism intensitynights per 1,000 inhabitants | 2025 | 2,798 | +6.1% | 4,476 | 2 / 2 | 86 / 112 | |
Regional labour market
10
| Indicator | Period | Value | Year-on-year change | Trend | Bulgaria | Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Rank NUTS 1 | |||||
| Unemployment rate (15–74)% of labour force | 2025 | 2.4% | -0.4 pp | 3.5% | 1 / 2 | 1 / 109 | |
| Long-term unemployment (12 months or more)% of labour force | 2025 | 0.9% | -0.5 pp | 1.5% | 1 / 2 | 21 / 103 | |
| Youth unemployment rate (15–24)% of labour force | 2025 | 9.4% | +1.6 pp | 13.1% | 1 / 2 | 13 / 97 | |
| Employment rate (20–64)% of population0.3 pp above the EU 2030 target (78%) | 2025 | 78.3% | +0.7 pp | 77.0% | 1 / 2 | 43 / 110 | |
| Male employment rate (20–64)% of population | 2025 | 81.1% | +0.5 pp | 80.6% | 1 / 2 | 49 / 110 | |
| Female employment rate (20–64)% of population | 2025 | 75.5% | +0.9 pp | 73.2% | 1 / 2 | 42 / 110 | |
| Young people neither in employment nor in education (15–29)% of population aged 15–29 | 2025 | 9.0% | +0.5 pp | 13.8% | 1 / 2 | 27 / 109 | |
| Population aged 25–64 with tertiary education% | 2025 | 38.6% | +1.7 pp | 35.7% | 1 / 2 | 45 / 110 | |
| Human resources in science and technology% of labour force | 2025 | 48.7% | +3.1 pp | 45.6% | 1 / 2 | 58 / 110 | |
| R&D expenditure% of GDP | 2024 | 1.03% | -0.04 pp | 0.77% | 1 / 2 | 35 / 67 | |
Regional households and well-being
4
| Indicator | Period | Value | Year-on-year change | Trend | Bulgaria | Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Rank NUTS 1 | |||||
| Household disposable income per inhabitantPPS per inhabitant | 2023 | 16,100 PPS | +14.2% | 13,500 PPS | 1 / 2 | 76 / 92 | |
| People at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE)% of population | 2025 | 25.5% | -1.8 pp | 29.0% | 1 / 2 | 76 / 94 | |
| Life expectancy at birthyears | 2024 | 76.6 | +0.1 | 75.8 | 1 / 2 | 94 / 100 | |
| Infant mortality rateper 1,000 live births | 2024 | 3.6 | -0.4 | 4.5 | 1 / 2 | 52 / 95 | |
Regional demography
7
| Indicator | Period | Value | Year-on-year change | Trend | Bulgaria | Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Rank NUTS 1 | |||||
| Population on 1 Januarypersons | 2025 | 3,329,474 | +0.2% | — | 1 / 2 | 71 / 113 | |
| Median age of populationyears | 2025 | 46.0 | +0.2 | 47.2 | 2 / 2 | 28 / 113 | |
| Old-age dependency ratio (65+ / 15–64)% | 2025 | 35.5% | +0.4 pp | 38.7% | 1 / 2 | 73 / 113 | |
| Population densityinhabitants per km² | 2024 | 78.6 | +0.3% | 58.6 | 1 / 2 | 77 / 111 | |
| Total population changeper 1,000 inhabitants | 2024 | 1.7 | -0.2 | -1.3 | 1 / 2 | 58 / 113 | |
| Net migration (including statistical adjustment)per 1,000 inhabitants | 2024 | 7.3 | +0.4 | 6.1 | 1 / 2 | 31 / 113 | |
| Crude birth rateper 1,000 inhabitants | 2024 | 8.5 | -0.6 | 8.3 | 1 / 2 | 46 / 113 | |