Ruse

GDP per capita in Ruse district has increased to 15,100 BGN, which was the ninth highest in the country in 2021. Salaries and pensions have also been rising. The average annual gross salary of people employed in a labor and service contract has reached 15,400 BGN, and the average monthly pension – 505 BGN. The Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, was below the national average in 2022. Poverty is declining and the share of the population living below the national poverty line stands at 18.5%, compared to 22.9% nationally.

The share of the working-age population in the district has decreased to 57.2%, versus 58.5% in the country. Economic activity in the district has registered a slight increase and continues to be higher than the national average, reaching in 2022 75%, compared to 73.6% in the country. This increase has been driven by a rise in both employment and unemployment, though their figures remain relatively favorable. The employment rate is 72.3%, higher than the national average of 70.4%, while the unemployment rate is 5.6%, compared to 5.2% nationwide. Ruse is also among the districts with the most highly educated workforce. The share of university graduates among the population aged 25–64 is the third highest in the country (after the capital and Varna district), even though in 2022 it shrank slightly to 29.0%. The share of people with primary or lower education is only 11.1%, versus 16.0% in the country. The local labor market continues to face the challenge of population aging. In 2022, the replacement ratio of the population aged 15–19 to that aged 60–64 was 57.3%, compared to 65.7% in the country. This means that for every 100 people who are about to leave the labor market in the next few years, there will be 57 young people joining the workforce.

In 2021, investment activity in Ruse district came close to the national average. The number of enterprises reached 55 per 1,000 people, compared to 60 per 1,000 people in the country. FTA acquisition expenditures continue to rise and have reached 2,700 BGN/person. FDI flows have gone up to 2,200 EUR/person. Production value per capita in the district has also grown and remains relatively high – 32,100 BGN/person. Utilization of European funds in Ruse has registered a significant increase and for the first time exceeds the average level in the country. By 30 June 2023, payments made in the district to beneficiaries under EU operational programs amounted to 2,862 BGN/person, against 2,836 BGN/person nationally. Within the district, the leader in utilization of EU funding is Byala municipality.

Ruse is the district with the highest railway network density in the country. The density of the road network and the share of highways and first-class roads are also higher than average. Road quality has improved dramatically and in 2022 47.2% of road surfaces were in good condition, against 41.1% nationwide. The share of households in the district with internet access has also continued to increase and remains higher than the national average – 88.8% compared to 87.3% in the country.

In 2022, the average level of the tax rates in Ruse district was close to the country’s average. Among all monitored taxes, the only one where there was a significant margin with the national average was the tax on non-gratuitous acquisition of property, which in Ruse district’s municipalities was lower. For its part, the local tax on retail trade was higher, but it did not differ much from the average levels. Within the district, the municipality of Ruse city levies the highest local taxes, while the lowest rates are in the municipalities of Tsenovo, Slivo Pole and Vetovo.

In 2022, the local authorities’ self-assessments on the development of e-government showed no change and again failed to reach the national average. However, the self-assessments on the provision of one-stop shop administrative services again achieved high scores. The AIP active transparency rating of local government bodies rose slightly and again exceeded the country’s average. The share of own revenues in the total revenues of the district’s municipalities has been decreasing and is below average (26.5% in the district versus 29.0% in the country), but the coverage of municipal expenditures with local revenues is high – 101.7% in the district versus 84.2% in the country.

Natural population growth in Ruse district is in serious decline, with a rate of –15.1‰ in 2022, against the national average of –9.7‰. However, Ruse manages to attract new residents, although its net migration rate is low – 0.9‰. The age dependency ratios in the district remain higher than the national average. The ratio of people aged 65+ to those aged 0–14 years has reached 215.3%, compared to 165.9% in the country on average, and to those aged 15–64 years – 43.8%, versus 37.7% nationwide. Ruse is among the districts with a high level of urbanization – in 2022 77.8% of the population were living in urban settlements, compared to 73.6% nationally, while the population density was 1,467 persons/sq. km, compared to 1,404 persons/sq. km in the country.

The proportion of children in the district attending kindergarten is increasing and is higher than average. The enrolment ratio in 5th–7th grade in 2022 was also relatively high, having increased to 92.4%, against 90.7% nationally. The share of school year repeaters, on the other hand, is less than half the national average. The alignment between vocational education and the profile of the economy is relatively good, mainly because of the high number of students and employees in the manufacturing and transport sectors. Students’ results for 2023 again remained close to the average ones in the country. The average score in the NEA in mathematics after 7th grade dropped, albeit slightly, to 35.6 points, compared to 35.3 points nationally. The average grade in the State matriculation exam in Bulgarian language and literature was “Good” 3.82, whereas the national average was 3.93. “Fail” grades (below 3.00) made up 17.5%, against the national average of 17.9%. The number of university students is 28.2 per 1,000 people, compared to 33.2 per 1,000 people nationally.

In 2022, the healthcare system in Ruse district continued to suffer from a shortage of GPs. One local GP was caring for an average of 2,178 people, compared to 1,674 people per doctor in the country. The number of specialist physicians, however, was close to the national average. In recent years, there has been an increase in the relative number of beds in the local general hospitals, and in 2021, which reached 6.2 beds per 1,000 people, compared to 5.9 per 1,000 people in the country. The number of patients treated in the local general hospitals was higher than the national average – 269 per 1,000 people, compared to 235 per 1,000 people in the country. The average life expectancy in the district is close to the national average, though the infant mortality rate in the district rose in 2022 to become relatively high. The share of people with health insurance is above the national average.

Although the workloads of the criminal judges in Ruse district are close to the national average, the speed of delivery of justice is higher than in the country. One local judge hears an average of 10.2 cases a month, compared to 10.1 cases per judge countrywide. The proportion of criminal cases closed within 3 months is 90%, compared to the average of 89% nationwide, and that of pending cases – 8%, versus 12% nationally. The crime rate in Ruse district has increased but remains relatively low, and the detection rate is above the average one in the country. In 2022, the registered crimes against the person and property in the district constituted 9.3 per 1,000 people, versus the average of 11.6 per 1,000 people nationwide. The detection rate, for its part, increased to 53%, against 49% for the country on average.

The amounts of household waste generated in the district are close to the national average – 442 kg/person in the district per year, versus 445 kg/person in the country. At the same time, the share handed over for treatment and recycling is growing, though remaining low – 68%, compared to the national average of 74% for 2021. The share of population with access to a public sewerage system remains relatively low – 67.3%, versus 74.8% in the country on average. Nevertheless, in 2021 the whole sewerage network was already connected to wastewater treatment plants, compared to the national average of 66.8%. The share of forest areas in Ruse district is relatively small – 15%, versus 33% countrywide. The share of degraded land, however, is higher – 0.53 %, against 0.43% in the country. The installed RES capacities are extremely small – 0.16 kW/person, compared to 0.85 kW/person countrywide.

In 2022, Ruse remained among the districts with relatively active cultural life. Cinema visits reached 688 per 1,000 people, against 590 per 1,000 people nationally. Visits to the local theatres and museums also recorded a significant increase. Local libraries attracted 440 visits per 1,000 people, against 589 per 1,000 people nationally. The tourism sector does not have a strong presence in the district. The number of beds in accommodation facilities is 13 per 1,000 people, compared to 55 per 1,000 people in the country. Overnight stays are also relatively few in number, at 909 per 1,000 people in the district, versus 3,739 per 1,000 people in the country), although they increased by 46% compared to the previous year. The share of people employed in the culture, sports and entertainment sector is half the national average.