Drug Prices Surge in Bulgaria, with Some Medicines Doubling or Tripling in Cost
A noticeable and sustained rise in the prices of a number of medicines has been observed over the past several months, according to pharmacists and patient
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According to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute, in the fourth quarter of 2019, the number of newly built residential buildings was 1,057 and the newly built dwellings in them were 4,474. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, the buildings were by 335 more (or by 46.4%), and the newly built dwellings in them increased by 2,101, or by 88.5%.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, 76.0% of the newly built residential buildings were with steel-concrete construction, 19.9% with solid structure, 3.5% with ‘other’ and 0.6% with panel. Highest is the relative share of houses (75.2%), followed by blocks of flats (18.2%). As compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 the number of newly built houses, blocks of flats and mixed buildings rose, while the number of newly built country houses dropped.
Highest is the number of residential buildings built in district Sofia (City) - 129 residential buildings with 881 dwellings, followed by Varna - 128 residential buildings with 699 dwellings, and Blagoevgrad - 104 buildings with 309 dwellings in them.
Highest is the number of newly built dwellings with three rooms (38.2%), followed by the number of those with two rooms (37.5%) and lowest is the number of dwellings with six and more rooms - 2.7%.
In the fourth quarter of 2019 the total useful space of newly built dwellings was 422.4 thousand sq. m or by 81.4% more, compared to the same quarter of 2018, and the living floor spaceincreased (by 84.7%) to 315.6 thousand sq. m (Figure 4).The average useful floor spaceof a newly built dwelling decreased from 98.1 sq. m in the fourth quarter of 2018 to 94.4 sq. m in the same quarter of 2019.The biggest average useful floor space of a newly built dwelling was recorded in districts Vratsa - 158.0 sq. m and Silistra - 137.2 sq. m, and the smallest one in Veliko Tarnovo - 55.2 sq. m and Pleven - 71.2 sq. м.
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