Economy, jobs and prices in Veliko Tarnovo (Severen tsentralen, Bulgaria): official figures
GDP per person was 18,200 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 46% of the EU average (66% for Bulgaria); 10th highest of 28 provinces in Bulgaria.
How big is the economy of Veliko Tarnovo?
The local economy produced €2.3 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Veliko Tarnovo?
About 98,030 people worked in Veliko Tarnovo in 2023 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Veliko Tarnovo district?
Employees in Veliko Tarnovo district earned an average of 21,565 leva in 2024 (about 1,797 leva a month), 77% of the national average of 27,898 leva and 14th highest of 28 districts.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhich jobs pay most in Veliko Tarnovo district?
In Veliko Tarnovo the best-paid sector in 2024 was electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply at 32,362 leva a year, and the lowest-paid was other service activities at 15,519 leva.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the GDP per capita of Veliko Tarnovo district?
Gross domestic product per person in Veliko Tarnovo was 22,009 leva in 2024, 69% of the national figure; industry produced 25.0% of its gross value added and services 70.0%.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow much foreign investment does Veliko Tarnovo district have?
Foreign direct investment in non-financial enterprises in Veliko Tarnovo stood at 321 million euro at the end of 2024, or 1,604 euro per resident, 12th lowest of 28 districts (national average 5,267 euro).
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many companies are there in Veliko Tarnovo district?
There were 11,905 non-financial enterprises in Veliko Tarnovo in 2024 (59 per 1,000 residents, national 73), employing 55,215 people and reporting net sales of 8,949 million leva.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Veliko Tarnovo district?
The registered unemployment level in Veliko Tarnovo district averaged 5.2% in 2024 (4,451 people on the labour office register), 9th lowest of 28 districts; the national level was 5.2%.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many hotels are there in Veliko Tarnovo district?
Veliko Tarnovo district had 188 accommodation establishments with 6,663 bed-places in 2024, and they welcomed 210,432 overnight visitors.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Veliko Tarnovo?
The largest part of the economy of Veliko Tarnovo in 2024 was public administration, education, health and other services, at 27.8% of gross value added, followed by trade, transport, hospitality and communications (26.3%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Veliko Tarnovo?
Industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) made up 18.8% of output in 2024, against 19.4% for Bulgaria.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Veliko Tarnovo growing?
Gross value added rose from €0.9 billion in 2015 to €2.0 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 119% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Veliko Tarnovo?
Of the 98,030 jobs located in Veliko Tarnovo in 2023, 24% in public services, education, health and other services, 23% in industry and 18.4% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Veliko Tarnovo?
The number of people working in Veliko Tarnovo fell by 9.2% between 2015 and 2023, to 98,030.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Veliko Tarnovo district had an average of 63,384 employees on labour or civil-service contracts in 2024; 25.5% of them worked in manufacturing (national share 19.1%). Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Measured in current prices, GDP per person in Veliko Tarnovo rose from 12,082 leva in 2019 to 22,009 leva in 2024, a gain of 82% (Bulgaria: 76%). Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Businesses and public bodies in Veliko Tarnovo spent 737 million leva on acquiring tangible fixed assets in 2024, 3,679 leva per resident against 5,793 leva nationally; the private sector accounted for 91%. Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Of the registered unemployed in Veliko Tarnovo in 2024, 10.2% were aged 29 or under and 18.5% had been registered for more than a year (national shares 11.1% and 20.4%). Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo earned 21.9 million leva from 352,026 nights spent in 2024, about 62 leva per night against 87 leva across Bulgaria. Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
How Veliko Tarnovo compares with other provinces in Bulgaria
Registered unemployment level (%) (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 20 of 28, highest first. Average annual number of unemployed registered at labour offices as a share of the labour force
| Rank | Area | Registered unemployment level (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Ruse | 5.6% |
| 18 | Burgas | 5.4% |
| 19 | Dobrich | 5.2% |
| 20 | Veliko Tarnovo | 5.2% |
| 21 | Yambol | 5.2% |
| 22 | Plovdiv | 4.0% |
| 23 | Stara Zagora | 4.0% |
Accommodation revenue per night spent (leva) (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 20 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Accommodation revenue per night spent (leva) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Razgrad | 66 |
| 18 | Kardzhali | 65 |
| 19 | Yambol | 63 |
| 20 | Veliko Tarnovo | 62 |
| 21 | Shumen | 62 |
| 22 | Vidin | 60 |
| 23 | Silistra | 59 |
Average annual wage of employees (leva) (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 14 of 28, highest first. Employees under labour and civil-service contracts
| Rank | Area | Average annual wage of employees (leva) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Razgrad | 21,765 |
| 12 | Burgas | 21,644 |
| 13 | Pernik | 21,641 |
| 14 | Veliko Tarnovo | 21,565 |
| 15 | Pazardzhik | 21,392 |
| 16 | Targovishte | 21,158 |
| 17 | Yambol | 21,133 |
Foreign direct investment per resident (euro) (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 17 of 28, highest first. Stock in non-financial enterprises at 31 December 2024
| Rank | Area | Foreign direct investment per resident (euro) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Dobrich | 2,320 |
| 15 | Kardzhali | 2,147 |
| 16 | Lovech | 1,880 |
| 17 | Veliko Tarnovo | 1,604 |
| 18 | Shumen | 1,586 |
| 19 | Vratsa | 1,216 |
| 20 | Pleven | 1,205 |
Non-financial enterprises per 1,000 residents (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 15 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Non-financial enterprises per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Yambol | 62 |
| 13 | Pernik | 61 |
| 14 | Stara Zagora | 60 |
| 15 | Veliko Tarnovo | 59 |
| 16 | Silistra | 58 |
| 17 | Sliven | 57 |
| 18 | Sofia | 56 |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 17 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Shumen | 21.0% |
| 15 | Ruse | 21.0% |
| 16 | Kyustendil | 20.5% |
| 17 | Veliko Tarnovo | 18.8% |
| 18 | Burgas | 18.2% |
| 19 | Targovishte | 17.6% |
| 20 | Dobrich | 17.0% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 19 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Blagoevgrad | 16.4% |
| 17 | Ruse | 16.3% |
| 18 | Pleven | 16.1% |
| 19 | Veliko Tarnovo | 16.0% |
| 20 | Pazardzhik | 15.6% |
| 21 | Razgrad | 15.4% |
| 22 | Kardzhali | 15.2% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Veliko Tarnovo ranks 8 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Montana | 31.0% |
| 6 | Razgrad | 29.8% |
| 7 | Lovech | 29.4% |
| 8 | Veliko Tarnovo | 27.8% |
| 9 | Haskovo | 27.1% |
| 10 | Smolyan | 26.8% |
| 11 | Shumen | 26.7% |
More on Veliko Tarnovo: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Severen tsentralen · Bulgaria
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI): Regions, districts and municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria 2024 (yearbook tables by statistical region, district and municipality), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81cba27bb0cc…)
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