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Deep regional inequality remains one of the most persistent challenges to Bulgaria's economic development. The data for 2024 clearly show that although the national economy continues to grow and approaches average European levels, this progress is highly unevenly distributed. The leading economic centers - first and foremost the capital - not only maintain their lead, but also increase it compared to less developed regions, especially in Northern Bulgaria.

Today is the official opening of the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. Two decades after the country's last medal at a winter games (silver for Evgenia Radanova in Turin in 2006), Bulgaria enters the race with real chances of distinction. The rise of winter sports in recent years, including the emergence of exceptional young snowboarders, is undoubtedly also linked to the development and establishment of Bansko as a leading tourist and sports destination.

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.