For the third year in a row, the export of Bulgarian goods has declined. The National Statistical Institute published the data on Bulgaria’s foreign trade for 2025, from which it is clear that Bulgarian companies exported goods worth BGN 83.9 billion, which is 3.2% less than in 2024.
Before that, in 2024 the reported decline was by 0.2%, and in 2023 by 6.5%. One of the reasons for this decline is the reflection of the war in Ukraine on the markets.
The disturbing thing is that in the past year 2025, our exports to the countries of the European Union, which is leading for Bulgaria, have shrunk to a greater extent. The NSI data for our European markets are still as of November, but they show that the decrease in Bulgarian exports is by 4.6% compared to a year earlier to about BGN 50 billion, while exports to countries outside the EU are down by 2.2%.
Of our main trading partners in the EU, the biggest drop was in our exports to Germany – by 7.5%, as well as Italy – also by 7.5% down. With France, the reduction is 4.8%. Our other major European markets are Greece, where there is almost no difference compared to the previous year, and Romania, with growth of 5.3%.
Germany, Romania, Italy, Greece and France form 64.3% of exports to EU member states.
With regard to countries outside the EU, exports from Bulgaria will shrink by 2.2% in 2025 to BGN 30 billion. A decrease in value volumes is reported for almost all of our main trade partners outside the EU – the USA, Serbia, North Macedonia, China, Great Britain. With Turkey, which has the largest share in our export list with BGN 5.856 billion, there is almost no change, a strong jump in Bulgarian exports was reported for Algeria – by over 20%, with its value reaching BGN 1.232 billion.
By group of goods, the largest drop in exports was recorded for fuels – for them, the decrease in value volume by 26%, including a drop by 13% for EU countries. Here the main role is played by the decreased production and exports from the Burgas refinery “Lukoil Neftohim“. In effect, parliament banned the refinery from exporting diesel from the summer of 2025 as a measure against “speculative” fuel price hikes ahead of the introduction of the euro.
Machinery and equipment continue to have the largest share in our export list with realized sales abroad for BGN 18 billion, but they also recorded a slight drop of 1.6%, including 2.2% for the EU. Machine-building enterprises, as well as the rest of the industry, find it increasingly difficult to find foreign markets.
Only the export of some agricultural and food products showed growth. Among them are sunflower seed and oil, as well as cereals.
Against the background of the general decline in exports, in 2025 goods for 105.6 billion BGN were imported into the country, which is 6.1% more compared to 2024. Thus, Bulgaria’s foreign trade deficit reached a record 21.7 billion BGN. This trend of increasing imports is the result of the stimulated domestic consumption in the country by the administrative increase in salaries in the budget sphere, while export-oriented Bulgarian companies noted a worsening environment for doing business.
If you want to support independent and quality journalism in “Sega”,
you can donate via PayPal
date:2026-02-12 01:33:00
Related reading