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Varna is the largest economic center of Northern Bulgaria, with the local economy combining tourism, a strong service sector and a manufacturing industry with a transport hub. In recent years, the district has also seen a demographic boom, which also puts it in stark contrast to everyone else in the north. However, due to the important role of tourism and related services in the local economy, Varna suffered a relatively serious blow during the coronavirus crisis, which in turn has less potential for growth in these industries until the international situation normalizes.

Especially for the publication "Regional Profiles: Development Indicators" IME receives data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on the education of the workforce at the district level. The latest ones, for 2020, are also part of the upcoming ninth edition of the study. The data show the share of the population aged between 25 and 64 by levels of education.

Although in 2021 in most municipalities there is an increase in local taxes, the number of cases of reduced taxes is a record.

The study “Regional Profiles: Indicators for Development 2020” was presented online - June 29th 2021

The rapid economic growth in the second half of the past decade did not affect all districts in Bulgaria equally. While the leading economic centers, especially in the south, have managed to pull back and grow faster than the national average, the more isolated areas of the North are achieving more moderate success. Among these areas is Shumen, which has failed to find a formula for outpacing development over the past decade, and despite significant improvements in the local economy, remains behind in most indicators. However, against the background of significant aging in the country, the demographic potential of the district may become a future engine of growth.

In 2021, the compulsory Matriculation Exam exam in Bulgarian Language and Literature (BEL) showed significant differences between the regions in Bulgaria. The number of students in the capital is the highest - 9.3 thousand, followed by more than twice as many high school graduates in Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. The least are in Vidin district - a little over 500 students, and in a total of 12 districts there are less than a thousand high school graduates.

The economic history of Stara Zagora district is largely related to two special sectors of industry - energy and weapons production. Before the crisis, the district had some of the best economic indicators in the country - from the labor market and employment, through the growth of value added and wages to educational achievements, and was often cited as one of the more specific but undoubtedly successful models. of regional development in the country.