Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria produced furniture worth EUR 535 million in 2024, said Branch Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry (BCWFI) President Vasil Zhivkov during the Chamber’s annual conference, held Friday in the Borovets resort.
Earlier on Friday, the BCWFI presented its annual awards to the Bulgarian companies in the woodworking and furniture sectors with the highest export performance and turnover in 2024.
In 2024 Bulgaria reported an all-time peak in furniture consumption, reaching EUR 503 million, Zhivkov said. According to him, this can be interpreted as an indication of rising living standards and increased investment in furnishing homes, offices, hotels and retail spaces.
Furniture made of solid wood and wood-based materials accounted for the largest share of domestic production (27.6%), followed by wooden-frame seating furniture (13%) and mattresses (8.6%).
Bulgaria ranks 56th globally and 26th in Europe by production volume; 40th and 23rd by exports; 51st and 25th by imports; and 60th and 24th by consumption. The country performs strongest in exports and, according to Zhivkov, is “at least in this sector, not at the bottom in the EU”.
In 2024, Bulgaria exported EUR 501 million worth of furniture, while imports reached a record EUR 471 million. Major sources of imports are China (30%), Turkiye (16%) and Poland (12%). The top 10 also include Germany, Romania, Italy, Ukraine, Serbia, Vietnam and North Macedonia.
The main export destinations for Bulgarian furniture are Romania, Greece and Poland are. The top 10 markets also include France, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy and Slovakia, the latter replacing Serbia in 2024.
Zhivkov noted that the industry faces several key challenges and one of them is low labour productivity. In Bulgaria the sector employs 22,000 people for production worth EUR 500 million, compared to France, where 18,000 people produce EUR 7.5 billion. This highlights a significant productivity gap that must be addressed, he noted.
Other difficulties stem from regulatory burdens, including implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation. The sector is calling for a 12-month postponement of core obligations and for reduced administrative pressure on small and micro enterprises. Zhivkov also pointed to challenges related to the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which, according to expert assessments, could fundamentally reshape furniture production. The industry insists that requirements focus on durability, reliability and reparability rather than rigid quotas for recycled or recyclable materials.
The sector is also urging tighter control over imports due to the risk of Chinese furniture being redirected to Europe as a result of US customs tariffs. A serious shortage of skilled workers remains another pressing issue. Bulgaria Produced Furniture Worth EUR 535 Mln in 2024 – Industry Chamber 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-21 19:39:58 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
