In the third quarter of 2025, Bulgarian municipalities issued permits for a total of 2,292 residential buildings, encompassing 13,541 dwellings with a combined gross floor area of 1,475,933 square meters. Additionally, permits were granted for 16 administrative buildings with 14,736 square meters of floor space and 1,271 other types of buildings totaling 683,709 square meters, according to data from the National Statistical Institute.

Quarter-on-quarter, permits for residential buildings rose by 11.9%, with the number of dwellings up 34.2% and total floor area increasing by 13.1%. Permits for administrative buildings grew by 6.7% in number but saw a 37.9% reduction in total area. Other buildings experienced a 5.1% increase in permits, while their total floor space grew by 18.6%. Compared to the third quarter of 2024, new residential building permits rose by 8.5%, dwellings in them by 46.9%, and floor area by 32.3%. Permits for administrative buildings declined by 11.1% in number and 75.6% in area, while other buildings saw increases of 9.4% in number and 19.4% in area.

Plovdiv led in the number of residential building permits, with 442, nearly double the 230 issued in Sofia (capital), followed by Sofia district with 226, Varna with 215, and Burgas with 186. In terms of planned housing units, Plovdiv again topped the list with 3,744 units, followed by Sofia (capital) with 3,000, Burgas with 2,090, Varna with 1,236, and Blagoevgrad with 445.

Construction activity in the third quarter began on 1,797 residential buildings containing 6,443 units and totaling 880,935 square meters, alongside 9 administrative buildings with 7,284 square meters and 654 other buildings covering 418,159 square meters. Compared to the previous quarter, new residential starts increased by 9.6%, though the number of units fell 20.1% and floor area declined 8.5%. Administrative building starts dropped 60.9% in number and 63.2% in area, while other buildings rose 1.6% with 14.1% more floor space.

Year-on-year, residential starts increased 15.7%, though units decreased by 3.9% and floor area by 5.8%. Administrative buildings began 25% fewer projects with 66.9% less floor space. Other buildings rose 13.1% in number but had 4.7% less total area. The highest construction activity was recorded in Plovdiv (287 residential, 62 other), Sofia (capital) (308 residential, 5 administrative, 30 other), and Sofia district (174 residential, 44 other).