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NSSI data show that there are over half a million people receiving disability pensions. However, the regional distribution reveals significant differences between regions. With a uniform national regulatory framework and a centralized system of medical expertise, such deviations point to the role of local socio-economic conditions, employment opportunities and institutional practices in implementing the rules.

The IME Regional Profiles study has been tracking the economic and social development of regions in Bulgaria for over a decade. The analysis includes dozens of data points in 12 different categories – six for economic development and six for social development. Overall, a persistent polarization between the leading economic cores and the peripheral regions is evident.

For more than a decade, the Institute for Market Economics has been presenting the publication "Regional Profiles: Indicators of Development " - the only almanac of its kind on regional development in Bulgaria. Regional Profiles, as the publication is better known, has become an undisputed trademark of the IME.

In this year's edition of the IME study "Regional Profiles: Indicators of Development " 2025, the capital once again stands out as the undisputed leader in most categories of economic development in the regions. The concentration of investments (domestic and foreign), high salaries, and new companies means that Sofia is the only region with above-average values for some indicators. As a result, regions that are traditionally strong, usually with strong service and industrial sectors, are unable to stand out in the overall statistics.

The share of the population with health insurance at the national level is growing and exceeds 95%, which to some extent refutes the myth about low coverage and the large number of uninsured people burdening the healthcare system.

"Regional Profiles: Indicators of Development 2025" summarizes the current statistics for the 28 regions and tracks their development across a wide range of topics—from the economy, labor market, and investment to infrastructure, local finances, demographics, education, healthcare, security, environment, culture, and tourism. The indicators mainly cover 2024, with some sections also including data for 2025, which allows for reliable comparability between regions and tracking of trends over time.

How much has the standard of living of employees improved over the past ten years? Recently, there have been public claims of a slowdown in the growth of prosperity and even of a poverty increase. However, a review of the dynamics of real wages, after taking inflation into account, clearly shows that such claims are unfounded and even misleading.