Economy, jobs and prices in Blagoevgrad (Yugozapaden, Bulgaria): official figures
GDP per person was 14,900 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 37% of the EU average (66% for Bulgaria); 17th highest of 28 provinces in Bulgaria.
How big is the economy of Blagoevgrad?
The local economy produced €2.6 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Blagoevgrad?
About 145,320 people worked in Blagoevgrad in 2023 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Blagoevgrad district?
Employees in Blagoevgrad district earned an average of 19,037 leva in 2024 (about 1,586 leva a month), 68% of the national average of 27,898 leva and 3rd lowest of 28 districts.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhich jobs pay most in Blagoevgrad district?
In Blagoevgrad the best-paid sector in 2024 was education at 29,364 leva a year, and the lowest-paid was transportation and storage at 13,842 leva.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the GDP per capita of Blagoevgrad district?
Gross domestic product per person in Blagoevgrad was 18,012 leva in 2024, 57% of the national figure; industry produced 23.5% of its gross value added and services 70.9%.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow much foreign investment does Blagoevgrad district have?
Foreign direct investment in non-financial enterprises in Blagoevgrad stood at 673 million euro at the end of 2024, or 2,351 euro per resident, 13th highest of 28 districts (national average 5,267 euro).
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many companies are there in Blagoevgrad district?
There were 23,479 non-financial enterprises in Blagoevgrad in 2024 (82 per 1,000 residents, national 73), employing 82,544 people and reporting net sales of 11,070 million leva.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Blagoevgrad district?
The registered unemployment level in Blagoevgrad district averaged 9.2% in 2024 (11,367 people on the labour office register), 9th highest of 28 districts; the national level was 5.2%.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many hotels are there in Blagoevgrad district?
Blagoevgrad district had 253 accommodation establishments with 20,182 bed-places in 2024, and they welcomed 721,598 overnight visitors.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Blagoevgrad?
The largest part of the economy of Blagoevgrad in 2024 was trade, transport, hospitality and communications, at 28.6% of gross value added, followed by public administration, education, health and other services (25.9%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Blagoevgrad?
Factories, mines and energy produced 14.8% of the value added in Blagoevgrad in 2024, against 19.4% for Bulgaria.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Blagoevgrad growing?
Gross value added rose from €1.1 billion in 2015 to €2.3 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 110% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Blagoevgrad?
Of the 145,320 jobs located in Blagoevgrad in 2023, 20% in public services, education, health and other services, 22% in industry and 19.3% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Blagoevgrad?
The number of people working in Blagoevgrad fell by 3.1% between 2015 and 2023, to 145,320.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Blagoevgrad district had an average of 86,142 employees on labour or civil-service contracts in 2024; 24.5% 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 Blagoevgrad rose from 10,630 leva in 2019 to 18,012 leva in 2024, a gain of 69% (Bulgaria: 76%). Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Businesses and public bodies in Blagoevgrad spent 824 million leva on acquiring tangible fixed assets in 2024, 2,876 leva per resident against 5,793 leva nationally; the private sector accounted for 82%. Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Of the registered unemployed in Blagoevgrad in 2024, 8.8% were aged 29 or under and 21.5% 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 Blagoevgrad earned 185 million leva from 1,786,125 nights spent in 2024, about 104 leva per night against 87 leva across Bulgaria. Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
How Blagoevgrad compares with other provinces in Bulgaria
Registered unemployment level (%) (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 9 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Razgrad | 9.7% |
| 7 | Vratsa | 9.7% |
| 8 | Targovishte | 9.3% |
| 9 | Blagoevgrad | 9.2% |
| 10 | Kardzhali | 9.2% |
| 11 | Smolyan | 8.5% |
| 12 | Pleven | 7.8% |
Accommodation revenue per night spent (leva) (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 2 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Accommodation revenue per night spent (leva) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia (stolitsa) | 110 |
| 2 | Blagoevgrad | 104 |
| 3 | Sofia | 93 |
| 4 | Dobrich | 92 |
| 5 | Varna | 92 |
| 6 | Pazardzhik | 88 |
| 7 | Burgas | 84 |
Average annual wage of employees (leva) (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 26 of 28, highest first. Employees under labour and civil-service contracts
| Rank | Area | Average annual wage of employees (leva) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Kardzhali | 20,323 |
| 23 | Silistra | 19,471 |
| 24 | Vidin | 19,445 |
| 25 | Haskovo | 19,421 |
| 26 | Blagoevgrad | 19,037 |
| 27 | Kyustendil | 18,976 |
| 28 | Smolyan | 18,909 |
Foreign direct investment per resident (euro) (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 13 of 28, highest first. Stock in non-financial enterprises at 31 December 2024
| Rank | Area | Foreign direct investment per resident (euro) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Targovishte | 2,943 |
| 11 | Pazardzhik | 2,896 |
| 12 | Pernik | 2,443 |
| 13 | Blagoevgrad | 2,351 |
| 14 | Dobrich | 2,320 |
| 15 | Kardzhali | 2,147 |
| 16 | Lovech | 1,880 |
Non-financial enterprises per 1,000 residents (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 3 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Non-financial enterprises per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia (stolitsa) | 103 |
| 2 | Burgas | 86 |
| 3 | Blagoevgrad | 82 |
| 4 | Varna | 81 |
| 5 | Smolyan | 76 |
| 6 | Plovdiv | 73 |
| 7 | Dobrich | 72 |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 23 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Dobrich | 17.0% |
| 21 | Montana | 15.4% |
| 22 | Varna | 15.1% |
| 23 | Blagoevgrad | 14.8% |
| 24 | Haskovo | 13.2% |
| 25 | Silistra | 10.0% |
| 26 | Sofia (stolitsa) | 8.2% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 16 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Silistra | 17.7% |
| 14 | Dobrich | 17.4% |
| 15 | Smolyan | 17.2% |
| 16 | Blagoevgrad | 16.4% |
| 17 | Ruse | 16.3% |
| 18 | Pleven | 16.1% |
| 19 | Veliko Tarnovo | 16.0% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Blagoevgrad ranks 13 of 28, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Smolyan | 26.8% |
| 11 | Shumen | 26.7% |
| 12 | Kyustendil | 26.2% |
| 13 | Blagoevgrad | 25.9% |
| 14 | Pazardzhik | 24.2% |
| 15 | Dobrich | 24.0% |
| 16 | Kardzhali | 23.7% |
More on Blagoevgrad: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Yugozapaden · 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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