site.btaNational Statistical Institute: Inflation in Bulgaria Drops in September 2025

Consumer inflation in Bulgaria fell by 0.8% in September 2025, with annual inflation at 5.6%, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on Wednesday.

Year-to-date inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, was 3.4%. Average annual inflation for October 2024 to September 2025, compared to the preceding twelve months, was 3.8%.

In September 2025, the harmonized consumer price index recorded a monthly decrease of 0.6%, while annual inflation reached 4.1%. From January to September, prices increased by 2.7%. The average inflation rate for October 2024 to September 2025 compared to the previous year was 3.1%.

The harmonized consumer price index offers a standardized measure of inflation across EU member states and serves as a benchmark for price stability and Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone. To meet the criteria, Bulgaria’s inflation rate must not exceed the average rate of the three best-performing member states by more than 1.5 percentage points.

According to NSI data, in September 2024 the monthly inflation rate was -1% compared to the previous month, annual inflation was 1.2%, and the average annual harmonized rate for October 2023 to September 2024 was 3.4% compared to the same period a year earlier.

Cumulative inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, is 13.5% over the past three years (September 2025 compared to September 2022) and 41.1% over the past five years (September 2025 compared to September 2020).

Annual inflation in Bulgaria has stayed in single digits and continues to decline for over two years (28 consecutive months), according to NSI data. The rate fell to single digits in June 2023 at 8.7%, the first time since January 2022 when it was 9.1%. Inflation reached a peak of 18.7% year-on-year in September 2022.

Average annual harmonized inflation rates have continuously decreased since early 2024, beginning at 7.8% in January. By December 2024, and in January and February 2025, the rate had dropped to 2.6%. It was 2.7% in March, April, and May 2025, then edged up to 2.8% in June and July, and reached 2.9% in August, according to NSI data.

In September 2025, prices declined in the following categories: recreation and culture (-9.9%), restaurants and hotels (-0.9%), and food and non-alcoholic beverages (-0.1%).

Prices rose in the following categories: education (+4.5%), clothing and footwear (+1%), miscellaneous goods and services (+0.5%), communications (+0.5%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (+0.4%), household furnishings and routine maintenance (+0.3%), and housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (+0.1%). Transport and healthcare group prices remained stable.