Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria’s budget deficit stood at EUR 2.507 billion, or 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), on a cash basis at the end of May, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The deficit under the Consolidated Fiscal Programme (CFP) matched the preliminary estimate published at the beginning of May.
The deficit for the first five months of 2026 was approximately twice as high as in the same period of 2025. At the end of May last year, the deficit amounted to EUR 1.3 billion, or 1.2% of GDP.
Earlier in June, the Fiscal Council said the May deficit was the highest recorded for the month in the past 20 years. Under the 2026 draft State Budget Act, the annual deficit is projected at 5.7% of GDP.
The fiscal reserve stood at EUR 6.531 billion as of May 31, comprising EUR 4.707 billion in deposits with the Bulgarian National Bank and commercial banks, and EUR 1.823 billion in receivables from European Union funds for certified expenditure, advances and other payments.
Revenue, grants and donations under the CFP totalled EUR 17.357 billion in the first five months of the year, up 7.7%, or EUR 1.241 billion, from the same period of 2025. Tax and social security revenue increased by 11.2%, while non-tax revenue declined by EUR 576.4 million, mainly due to changes in the deadline for the Bulgarian National Bank’s profit transfer to the State Budget and lower dividend payments from State-owned enterprises. Revenue from grants and donations, primarily EU funds, increased by EUR 372 million.
Tax revenue, including social security contributions, amounted to EUR 14.315 billion, accounting for 82.5% of total CFP revenue. Non-tax revenue totalled EUR 2.033 billion, while grants and donations reached EUR 1.008 billion.
Expenditure under the CFP, including Bulgaria’s contribution to the EU budget, amounted to EUR 19.864 billion by the end of May, compared with EUR 17.447 billion a year earlier. Spending increased mainly due to higher social and health insurance payments, including pensions, personnel costs and capital expenditure.
According to the Finance Ministry, expenditure growth reflected the indexation of pensions from July 1, 2025, increases in the minimum wage and public sector pay from January 2026, as well as higher capital spending under the Municipal Investment Programme and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Non-interest expenditure totalled EUR 18.909 billion, up 13.4% year on year. Interest payments reached EUR 509.9 million, an increase of EUR 149.8 million compared with the same period of 2025.
Central government debt stood at EUR 33.920 billion, or 27.1% of GDP, at the end of May, up EUR 168.2 million from the end of April, mainly due to the issuance of government securities on the domestic market, according to the monthly bulletin Debt and Guarantees of the Central Government Subsector. Bulgaria’s Budget Deficit Reaches 2% of GDP at End-May, Finance Ministry Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-30 17:23:38 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law