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Industrial production in Bulgaria continued to experience a downturn at the start of the year, according to preliminary and seasonally adjusted data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). After a brief period of improvement in late 2024, including increases in September and November, the trend shifted back to negative growth in December. In January, industrial production fell by 2% compared to the previous month, and saw a 3.5% decline compared to the same period last year.
The NSI data reveals a significant contraction in certain sectors. The extractive industry saw a sharp drop of 19%, while the manufacturing sector also experienced a decline of 1.1%. On the other hand, there was growth in the production and distribution of electricity, heat, and gas, which rose by 12.5%.
Within the manufacturing sector, more specific declines were noted. The production of goods not elsewhere classified dropped by 16.8%, and the manufacturing of computer and communication equipment, along with electronic and optical products, decreased by 15.2%. Conversely, growth was seen in industries such as the production of motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers (17.8%), as well as in the manufacturing of metal products, excluding machinery and equipment (16.6%).
On a year-on-year basis, industrial production also showed a decline when calculated from calendar-adjusted data. The production and distribution of electricity, heat, and gas saw the steepest drop, falling by 14.5%, followed by a 4.5% decrease in mining and quarrying, and a 0.3% reduction in manufacturing.
Within the manufacturing sector, specific industries saw considerable annual decreases. The production of basic metals was down by 34.1%, while textiles and textile products, excluding clothing, dropped by 22.2%. Additionally, the production of paper, cardboard, and paper products decreased by 21.5%. However, there were some areas of growth, including the production of tobacco products, which increased by 58.1%, the manufacturing of vehicles excluding cars, which rose by 33.3%, and the production of products from other non-metallic mineral raw materials, which grew by 30.3%.
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