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19.05.2025Targovishte district - fast administration of justice and low taxes, but poor education and ageing population

The Gross Domestic Product per capita in the Targovishte region is increasing significantly. Wages and pensions are also continuing to rise. Employment and unemployment are both increasing simultaneously, but both indicators remain significantly less favorable than the national average. The absorption of European funds in the region remains low. The share of motorways and first-class roads is relatively small, but the quality of the road surface is high. Local taxes remain at relatively low levels. The self-assessment of e-government development remains above the national average. The aging of the population is progressing at a faster rate than the national average. Targovishte is among the regions with the lowest coverage of the educational system. The utilization of hospital beds in the region is low. The courts in the region are among the least burdened in the country, which contributes to faster adjudication. The share of forested areas is lower than the national average, but the share of damaged land is also small. Cultural life remains low in intensity, and tourism is not particularly developed.

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09.05.2025Stara Zagora District - lots of investment and low taxes, but high crime and a large share of disturbed territory

Incomes in Stara Zagora continue to rise significantly and the standard of living is rising. Employment and unemployment are declining simultaneously, both indicators being more favourable than the national average. Output is high, placing the district in the top three. Unlike most districts with a high degree of economic development, Stara Zagora maintains relatively low local tax rates. The assessment of transparency in the work of local government bodies is relatively low. Natural growth in the district remains below the national average. Student performance is close to average. Access to doctors (both general practitioners and specialists) is relatively good. The pharmacy network is developed. The number of crimes is relatively high and the detection rate is close to average. Stara Zagora's poor environmental score is primarily due to the extremely high proportion of disturbed territory. Cultural life in the district is relatively intense.

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25.04.2025Sofia District - high investments and rising wages, but poor education and bad roads

Sofia District recorded the lowest growth of GDP per capita and lost its second place in the ranking. Wages and pensions remain relatively high. The development of the local labour market continues to be good. The good economic development of the district is accompanied by high investment activity. The density of the road network is high. The average level of local taxes is generally high. Transparency in municipal administrations remains low. The share of own revenues in total revenues of municipalities in the district is the lowest in the country. The natural growth rate remains lower than the national average. Sofia is among the districts with a relatively low urbanisation rate. Student performance is poor. Access to doctors, both general practitioners and specialists, in the district is slightly below the national average. The administration of justice is slow. The volume of municipal waste generated in the district is among the highest in the country, and the proportion sent for treatment and recycling among the lowest. The intensity of cultural life in the district remains low. At the same time, tourism is better developed than in most districts.

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22.04.2025Smolyan district - good education and low crime rate, but ageing population

Gross domestic product, wages and pensions in Smolyan continue to increase. The poverty rate is decreasing. Employment and unemployment are rising, both remaining relatively unfavourable. Business and investment activity has improved. The district lacks railways, motorways and first class roads. Local taxes are relatively low. Smolyan is among the three districts with the lowest share of own revenues in total municipal revenues and has the second lowest coverage of municipal expenditures by local revenues. The district's population is among the oldest in the country. Smolyan continues to be one of the districts with the best educational performance. The health insurance system practically covers the entire population of the district. The workload of local courts is relatively low, which affects the speed of justice. Smolyan is the district with the lowest number of registered crimes. It also ranks first in terms of the highest proportion of forested territory and the lowest in terms of disturbed territory. The intensity of cultural life remains low, but tourism is strong.

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14.04.2025Sliven District - good demography and growing employment, but little investment and poor education

Although the gross domestic product per capita in Sliven is increasing, it is among the lowest in the country. Employment and unemployment are growing simultaneously. The educational status of the labour force remains a challenge on the labour market. Investment activity is extremely weak. Basic physical infrastructure remains at a relatively good level. Retail rates are significantly lower than the national average. Transparency in the performance of municipalities in the district remains high. The demographic picture in the district ranks it among the top in the country. At the same time, on education and health indicators, Sliven is among the lowest performing districts. There is a severe shortage of both general practitioners and specialists. The relative number of crimes in the district is close to the average, but the detection rate is significantly higher. The relative volume of drinking water used is the lowest in the country. The cultural and tourism sectors in the district are relatively weak.

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07.04.2025Silistra District - wage growth and poverty reduction, but weaknesses in demography, education and health

Wages and pensions continue to increase, but are still relatively low. The poverty rate in the district is shrinking but remains high. The development of the local labour market is unsatisfactory. Domestic investment has increased significantly, but external investment has lagged behind. As a consequence of the low level of urbanisation, a relatively small proportion of the population lives in settlements with public sanitation. The average level of local taxes in Silistra District is relatively low. The share of own revenue from municipal revenue is extremely low. Silistra is among the districts with the worst demographic picture. Student performance is relatively poor. The match between vocational education and the profile of the local economy is high. Health care suffers from a lack of doctors. The workload of local judges is significantly below average. The number of crimes is rising but remains relatively low and the detection rate is high. Silistra is also among the lowest performing districts in environmental indicators. Tourism in the district is not well developed.

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28.03.2025Ruse District – good education and intense cultural life, but rapid population aging

The gross domestic product per capita in the district is growing and is the ninth highest in the country. Both employment and unemployment remain relatively favorable. A significant increase, which puts Ruse in first place, is observed in the share of export revenues in net sales revenues. Ruse is among the districts with the highest density of the railway network in the country. The average amount of local taxes is above the average levels in the country. The transparency rating of local government bodies is decreasing slightly, but remains above the average. The natural population growth has deteriorated significantly. The performance of students is approaching the average. The number of students compared to the population ranks the district among the leaders in this indicator. Healthcare continues to suffer from a lack of general practitioners. The number of crimes is increasing, but remains relatively low, and their detection rate is above the average for the country. The installed RES capacities are extremely small. Ruse is among the districts with an intensive cultural life, but the tourism sector is not very well represented.

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Latest news

Targovishte district - fast administration of justice and low taxes, but poor education and ageing population 19.05.2025

The Gross Domestic Product per capita in the Targovishte region is increasing significantly. Wages and...

Stara Zagora District - lots of investment and low taxes, but high crime and a large share of disturbed territory 09.05.2025

Incomes in Stara Zagora continue to rise significantly and the standard of living is rising. Employment and...

Sofia District - high investments and rising wages, but poor education and bad roads 25.04.2025

Sofia District recorded the lowest growth of GDP per capita and lost its second place in the ranking. Wages...

Smolyan district - good education and low crime rate, but ageing population 22.04.2025

Gross domestic product, wages and pensions in Smolyan continue to increase. The poverty rate is decreasing....

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