Bulgaria's Inflation Rates for February 2025: Monthly Increase of 0.6%, Annual at 4.0%

According to preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), Bulgaria's inflation rate in February 2025 was 0.6% on a monthly basis and 4.0% year-on-year. The monthly inflation reflects the comparison between February 2025 and January 2025, while the annual inflation compares February 2025 with the same month in 2024, CE Report quotes BTA

Key sectors seeing price increases in February included communications (up 2.3%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (up 1.0%), and restaurants and hotels (up 0.9%). Meanwhile, clothing and footwear experienced a decrease of 2.1%, along with household furnishings, which dropped by 0.1%.

For the year-to-date, the inflation rate from December 2024 to February 2025 stands at 2.6%. The average annual inflation for the period March 2024 to February 2025 was 2.5%.

Comparing longer-term inflation, prices have risen by 24.7% over the last three years (from February 2025 to February 2022), and by 37.1% over the last five years (from February 2025 to February 2020).

In addition to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) shows a 0.4% monthly increase and a 3.9% annual rise for February 2025. The accumulated inflation for the last three years measured by HICP is 22.3%, and for the last five years, it stands at 32.9%.

For lower-income households, measured by the Price Index of a Small Basket (PISB), prices rose by 0.6% month-on-month, with food products seeing the highest increase of 1.1%.