Balgarianovinite.com The strongest pressure on prices in Bulgaria over the past two to two-and-a-half years has come from the services sector, Svilen Kolev, deputy head of the National Statistical Institute (NSI), told Nova TV on Sunday. He said prices for hotels, restaurants and accommodation had risen by between 20% and 30% over the past two years. According to Kolev, the reasons include stronger demand, the post-pandemic recovery and changes to VAT rates.
Kolev said that various forecasts suggest there may be conditions for stronger price increases by the end of the year. Among the factors behind this trend, he highlighted higher electricity, hot water and district heating prices; rising fuel costs due to the international situation and the conflict in the Middle East; as well as the planned increase in vignette prices from August 1 and changes to the excise duty schedule for tobacco products.
Hairdressing services, personal care, home and car repairs and maintenance, as well as education and driving courses, have recorded an average annual increase of around 20%, Kolev said. He attributed the trend to higher wage costs, rents and electricity prices.
The NSI deputy head said the transport sector recorded a monthly decline of 3.3% in June due to lower fuel prices. He added, however, that despite this decline, the prices of major fuels remain 15% to 20% higher than during the same period in 2025.
Food prices recorded a slight monthly decline of around 2% to 2.2% in June in the so-called small consumer basket. According to Kolev, the decline was seasonal and was mainly driven by fresh fruit and vegetables – tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini, which were 25% to 30% cheaper than during the winter months.
The NSI deputy head recalled that monthly deflation of 0.9% was recorded in June, while annual inflation slowed to 5.4%, down from levels close to 7% in the previous month. According to Kolev, the pace of price growth has slowed, but July trends are expected to show that prices will continue to rise, albeit at a slower rate.
Kolev said that average wages increased by nearly 13% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, adding that this was more than enough to offset the accumulated inflation over the past three years, which was also around 13%. The NSI deputy head said the discrepancy between statistical data and people’s perception of prices is due to the fact that the prices of certain goods change on a monthly basis, while incomes tend to rise more slowly. Services Sector Has Been Main Driver of Price Pressures in Bulgaria, NSI Deputy Head Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-26 08:37:41 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