Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Study: Over 20% of Bulgaria's economy is in the informal sector

Prof. Stefan Petranov
Photo: bica-bg.org

Grey economy accounts for 1/5 of Bulgaria's GDP, according to a study by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association and the National Centre "Economy in the Clear". 


Still, since 2010, the share of the regulated economy has increased by 15%, from 63.35% to 78.40%. Despite this positive trend, the informal sector in Bulgaria has a higher rate than in any other EU country. 


"We have seen a significant improvement - the number of employment contracts where employees are insured on minimum wage while in reality they receive more, has decreased, , says the author of the study Stefan Petranov. The sectors most affected by the informal economy are services, hotels, restaurants, construction and agriculture. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgargaz proposes 8% increase in natural gas price for November

The Bulgarian state-owed natural gas supplier Bulgargaz has proposed that the price of natural gas for November increases by around 8% to nearly 66 BGN per megawatt-hour, excluding fees and taxes, reported BNR's journalist Yuliana Kornazheva. The..

published on 10/16/25 5:18 PM

BNB calls on the state to pursue conservative financial policy

The growth of the national economy in the second quarter of 2025 accelerated by 3.5% on an annual basis. According to an analysis by the Bulgarian National Bank - BNB, the main factors for the acceleration are the decrease in imports..

published on 10/16/25 11:28 AM

Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance proposes that December 31 and January 2 be declared non-working days due to euro changeover

For the first time, Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova took part as an observer in the regular meeting of the Eurogroup held in Luxembourg, the Ministry of Finance said. Until now, Bulgaria has only participated in Eurogroup..

published on 10/10/25 10:30 AM