Smolyan

Gross domestic product and wages are growing, but remain below the national average, and poverty in the district remains relatively high. Employment is growing and unemployment is falling slightly. Domestic and foreign investment are increasing significantly. Despite the low grade of roads in the region, the quality of the road surface is relatively high. The connection of the public sewerage system to wastewater treatment plants remains limited. Local taxes on vehicles and trade are relatively high. Local revenues remain extremely insufficient to cover expenses.

Smolyan continues to be among the three regions with the most unfavourable demographic picture. The region is also traditionally among the top three in terms of educational indicators, with good student results and a high proportion of children enrolled in kindergarten and lower secondary school. Overall, the entire population has health insurance. Smolyan is the region with the lowest relative number of registered crimes. The region leads in the category assessing the environment, with the highest share of forest area and the lowest need for cooling. Cultural life is not particularly intense, but tourism is strongly represented.

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