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Photo: Stella Ivanova
In December 2025, Bulgaria’s industrial sector showed modest growth following two consecutive months of decline, yet on an annual basis, production fell for the 13th month in a row. Meanwhile, the construction sector experienced a significant monthly contraction, although it continued to show weak year-on-year gains for the 24th consecutive month, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
Industrial output in December edged up by 0.3% compared to November, after falling by 1.4% in the previous month and declining 2.4% in October. The rise was largely driven by a surge in the production and distribution of electricity, heat, and gas, which jumped 30.5% month-on-month due to colder winter conditions. Manufacturing increased modestly by 0.7%, while the mining industry saw a sharp decline of 14%.
Despite the slight monthly improvement, industrial production declined by 6.7% compared to December 2024, following a 9% decrease in November 2025. This marks the 13th consecutive month of annual contraction, after industrial output last recorded growth of 2.4% in November 2024. The steepest annual drops in December were observed in the extractive industries, down 22.3%, the production and distribution of electricity, heat, and gas falling 14.1%, and manufacturing declining 1.4%.
Construction activity, meanwhile, shrank by 2.3% in December compared to November, when it had increased by 0.8%. Output from building construction declined by 0.4%, specialized construction activities fell by 3.9%, and construction of facilities contracted by 2.9%.
On an annual basis, the construction sector maintained a weak positive trend, growing 0.6% in December 2025. Although this continued a 24-month streak of year-on-year gains, the increase was the smallest recorded since February 2024. Within the sector, construction of facilities rose by 3.5% year-on-year, building construction climbed 2.6%, while specialized construction activities fell by 3.9%.
Earlier in February, the NSI also reported on retail trade, excluding automobile and motorcycle sales, which expanded 1.6% in December 2025 compared to November’s 0.2% growth. Compared to December 2024, retail turnover surged by 7.7%, following a 3.1% increase in November, marking the strongest year-on-year growth since January 2025 and the 23rd consecutive month of expansion.
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