Bulgaria records 2.42 billion euro Budget deficit in H1 2026
Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry has recorded a consolidated Budget deficit of 2.42 billion euro in the first six months of the year, or 1.9 per cent of this year’s estimated gross domestic product, the ministry said late on July 31.
The Budget balance was significantly worse off compared to the first half of 2025, when Bulgaria recorded a Budget deficit of 3.35 billion leva, or 1.71 billion euro.
At the same time, the deficit for the first half was a slight improvement on the figures through five months of the year, when Bulgaria’s deficit stood at 2.51 billion euro.
Consolidated budget revenue in first half of the year was 21.57 billion euro, up 8.1 per cent compared to the same period of 2025, with tax revenues recording an increase of 9.2 per cent to 17.8 billion euro, the ministry said.
Spending was 23.99 billion euro, up 10.7 per cent from the same period of last year, with the bulk of the increase due to higher pensions and salaries in the public sector.
The ministry said that capital expenditures also saw “significant growth” due to the implementation of projects from the Bulgaria’s municipal investment programme and the country’s recovery and resilience plan under the EU’s NextGenerationEU programme.
(Photo: Alessandro Paiva/sxc.hu)
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