The new study by the Institute for Market Economics analyzed the areas according to 73 indicators
The new edition of the study “Regional Profiles: Development Indicators 2023” includes 73 indicators distributed in 12 categories for the economic and social development of the regions, reported the Institute of Market Economy, which prepares this study every year.
The 28 Bulgarian regions initially have huge differences in their characteristic base indicators. The capital city is the most numerous with a population of nearly 1.3 million people, which is twice as much as in the second district (Plovdiv with 634 thousand people) and as many as 17 times – than the last one (Vidin with 75 thousand people). The last regions in the ranking by population – Vidin, Smolyan, Gabrovo, Silistra and Targovishte – already have less than 100 thousand people and are smaller than some municipalities in the country, which raises the question of administrative-territorial reform not only of municipal , but also at the regional level.
The differences in the area of the districts are also significant. The largest district – Burgas, is about five times larger than the smallest – the capital and Gabrovo. Sofia and Blagoevgrad are also among the most extensive areas.
Gabrovo region excels in almost all main indicators. Apart from being among the smallest in terms of area and population, it is the second with the most populated places (after Kardzhali) and at the same time it is the third district with the highest share of urban population (after the capital and Varna). An explanation for this can be found in the fact that Gabrovo is the leader among the regions with absolutely depopulated settlements (61 out of a total of 167 in the country). For comparison, Kardzhali is the district with the largest number of settlements (468 out of a total of 5,257 in the country) and the lowest share of the population in cities (41.8% against an average of 73.6% in the country). Razgrad is among the regions with the smallest number of settlements (103) and the lowest urban population (47.8%).
These basic indicators for the regions predetermine a number of aspects of their economic and social development, such as the possibilities for the transformation of the economy and investments, income and poverty, access to education and health care, cultural and tourist potential, the specifics of the infrastructure, the provision of order and security, the quality of the environment, write from IPI.
