2026.03.3009:14:12UTC+00Bulgaria Business Confidence Falls in March

Bulgaria’s industrial business climate indicator eased to 15.0 in March 2026 from 16.3 in February. Key constraining factors included economic uncertainty (47.3%), labour shortages (34.2%), weak domestic demand (24.9%), weak foreign demand (24.9%), and deficiencies in economic legislation (17.9%).

Assessments of the current business situation deteriorated (16.2 vs 19.0), while current production activity remained broadly stable (-0.3 vs -9.2). Total orders continued to fall (-15.7 vs -22.1), and stocks of finished products also declined (-2.1 vs -1.9). At the same time, selling price expectations strengthened (10.9 vs 8.8), suggesting that firms either anticipate higher costs or intend to pass more of their costs on to customers.

Employment expectations weakened (3.1 vs 4.6), and perceived uncertainty surrounding the business environment stayed high (-8.8 vs -9.2). Nevertheless, production expectations for the next three months improved (13.5 vs 12.3), and business expectations over a six‑month horizon rose slightly (13.9 vs 13.6).