Lovech

In 2020, GDP per capita in Lovech district registered considerable growth, yet remained relatively low – 10,900 BGN, against the average of 17,300 BGN in the country. Salaries and incomes also registered an increase but they still remain relatively limited. The average gross salary of employed people reached 12,600 BGN per annum, compared to 16,700 BGN on average nationwide. In line with these trends, poverty rates in the district are on the decrease. The share of the population living below the poverty line, however, remains high –28.1%, versus 22.1% in the country for 2021.

Economic activity and employment rates in Lovech district have been rising but in 2021 they again remained relatively low. The rate of economic activity reached 69.0%, compared to 72.0% in the country, and employment rates stood at 65.0%, versus 68.1% nationally. At the same time, unemployment rates continued to be close to the national average. A relatively high share of the population aged 25–64 in the district has secondary education – 67.3%, compared to 53.8% in the country, while the shares of both university graduates and those with primary or lower education are smaller than the respective national averages – 17.5%, against 29.6% in the country, and 15.2%, against 16.6% in the country respectively. The demographic replacement rate as a ratio of the population aged 15–19 to that aged 60–64 was 64.3% in 2021, compared to 69.4% nationally. This means that for every 100 people who are about to leave the labor market in the next few years, there are 64 young people who will join the workforce.

The relative number of enterprises in the dis­trict is 45 per 1,000 persons, versus the national average of 60 per 1,000 persons. A decrease in foreign and domestic flows was also registered in 2020, as well as a shrink in production value. FTA expenditures dropped to 1,200 BGN/person, against 3,300 BGN/person, and FDI in the district similarly decreased to 1,100 EUR/person, against 3,900 EUR/person on a national level. Production value shrank to 14,300 BGN/person, while the national average was 27,200 BGN/person. Utilization of EU funds is relatively high. By 30 June 2022, payments made in the district to beneficiaries under EU operational programs reached 2,577 BGN/person. Within the district, the highest amounts were utilized by the municipalities of Troyan and Yablanitsa – over 3,000 BGN/person.

The railroad network den­sity in Lovech district in 2021 again remained close to the country’s average. Although the road network density is slightly higher than the national average, the share of highways and first-class roads remains relatively small – 16.2%, versus 18.5% in the country. The share of road surfaces in good condition is comparable to the national average – 40%, versus 42% in the country. The share of households with internet access continued to rise in 2021, but remained relatively low – 78.1%, compared to the national average of 83.5%. The share of households connected to a gas supply is 3.9%, still below the national average (5.3% in 2020). The installed RES capacities relative to the population are twice as low as the national average.

The average level of local taxes in the municipalities of Lovech district again remained relatively low in 2022. An exception was the tax rate on non-residential immovable property of legal entities. In Lovech district it was 2.22‰ on average, compared to 2.06‰ in the country. Considerably lower than the national averages were the tax rates on motor vehicles – 1.09 BGN/kW, versus 1.54 BGN/kW in the country, and on non-gratuitous acquisition of property – 2.34%, compared to 2.75% nationally. Within the district, the lowest local taxes are levied by the municipalities of Ugarchin and Letnitsa, and the highest – by those of Yablanitsa and Apriltsi.

Cadastral map coverage in Lovech district has traditionally been higher than in the country on average and in 2021 it reached 98.8%, against 97.4% nationally. The local administrations’ self-assessment ratings for 2022 again show that the district is lagging considerably behind as regards the development of e-government, but is performing well in the provision of one-stop-shop services. The transparency ratings of the local administration dropped further in 2022, but remained above the national average – 74.3% in the district, against 70.2% nationally.

The natural population growth rate again came down in 2021 to reach –19.2‰ and remained considerably lower than the national average of –13.2‰. Lovech has also failed to attract new residents and the net migration rate is negative at –3.2‰. These developments further deepen the trend toward population ageing in the district. This is clearly visible in the age dependency rates for 2021. The ratio of the people aged 65+ to those aged 0–14 was 199.68%, compared to 149.36 in the country on average, and to those aged 15–64 – 45.5%, versus the national average of 34.0%. The share of the district’s population living in urban settlements is relatively low – 61.8%, compared to 73.1% in the country, and the population density of urbanized areas is considerably lower – 818 persons/sq. km, while nationally it is 1,486 persons/sq. km.

The district’s performance in the education category is unsatisfactory. The enrolment ratio in 5th–8th grade registered a slight increase to 87.1% in 2021 and remained higher than the national average (85.9%). The percentage of repeaters has risen and continues to be considerably higher than the national average. The relative number of teachers in primary and secondary education has gone up considerably and has reached 113 per 1,000 students, versus 97 per 1,000 students in the country. Students’ results in the district are low. The average score in the 2022 external assessment in mathematics after 7th grade was 26.1 points, versus 35.3 points in the country on average. The average grade in the State matriculation exam in Bulgarian language and literature was “Good” 3.82, compared to 3.97 in the country, while the share of “fail” grades (below 3.00) rose to 22.4%, against the national average of 17%. The number of university students in Lovech district again remained extremely low in 2020, with only the Technical College, which is a branch of Gabrovo Technical University, on its territory.

Healthcare in Lovech district is at a relatively high level. The number of GPs has decreased over the past few years but in 2021 it again remained higher than the national average. Specialist physicians are also well represented. The share of people with health insurance remains above the national average – 90.6%, against 88.7% in the country. The number of beds in the local general hospitals has gone up but remains relatively low – 4.27 beds per 1,000 persons in the district, versus 5.62 beds per 1,000 persons in the country. The number of hospitalizations in the district – 137.8 per 1,000 persons – is below the national average of 222.6 per 1,000 persons, and it is highly possible that some of the residents choose to seek medical care in the hospitals in Pleven district.

The workloads of criminal judges in 2021 were above the national average but the speed of delivery of justice in Lovech district again remained considerably higher. One local judge heard an average of 9.9 cases a month, versus 9.0 cases per judge nationally. The proportion of criminal cases closed within 3 months was 95%, compared to the average of 89% nationwide. The relative number of registered crimes against the person and property in Lovech district went up to 11.1 per 1,000 persons and remained above the national average of 9.8 per 1,000 persons. However, the detection rate was higher than the national average – 59.5%, against 51.7% in the country.

The share of waste generated by the households in Lovech district is relatively low – 325 kg/person per annum, compared to 409 kg/person, but the share of this waste handed over for treatment and recycling remains extremely limited – 13%, compared to the national average of 69.3% for 2020. The share of the population with access to public sewerage networks has continued to lag behind the national average and in 2020 it reached 68.8%, compared to 76.3% countrywide. The share of sewerage networks connected to wastewater treatment plants is 56.4%, against 66.7% in the country. The share of forest areas is close to the national average – 35.8%, compared to 33.1% countrywide, and that of degraded land is relatively limited at 0.16%, versus 0.42% nationally in 2021.

Cultural life in Lovech district has shown little intensity. Similar to the whole country, in 2020 the district suffered the negative impact of the pandemic and the restrictions on cultural events. In 2021 it revived somewhat, compared to 2020; however, this was insufficient to make up for the shrinking of the year before. Cinema visits went up to 145 per 1,000 persons, with 351 per 1,000 persons nationwide. Library visits rose slightly, reaching 143 per 1,000 persons, compared to the national average of 449 per 1,000 persons. The number of museum visits registered a greater increase and remains above the country average – 738 per 1,000 persons, compared to 426 per 1,000 persons nationwide. From among the monitored indicators, only the number of theatre visits has registered a decrease and in 2021 it was a bare 30 per 1,000 persons, compared to the national average of 129 persons.