Bulgaria: manufacturing productivity, cost and AI adoption in 2026 data
The lowest labour cost and the lowest output per worker of the seven countries we track, with the gap between the two closing from the cost side.
Key figures: Bulgaria vs EU-27
| Indicator | Bulgaria | EU-27 | Dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing gross value added, 2025 (EUR bn, current prices) | 12.8 | 2,668.8 | nama_10_a10 |
| Change in manufacturing value added, 2024→2025 | −1.9% | +2.0% | nama_10_a10 |
| Manufacturing share of total gross value added, 2025 | 12.7% | 15.8% | nama_10_a10 |
| Manufacturing employment, 2025 (thousand persons; 2024 in brackets) | 553.2 (562.9) | 29,901.6 (30,116.5) | nama_10_a10_e |
| Manufacturing enterprises, all sizes, 2023 | 29,512 | 2,168,163 | sbs_ovw_act |
| Value added per manufacturing worker, 2025 (EUR thousand, nominal) | 23.2 | 89.3 | our calculation, nama_10_a10 / nama_10_a10_e |
| Labour productivity per hour, whole economy, 2025 (PPS, EU-27 = 100; 2024 in brackets) | 59.0 (57.9) | 100 | tesem160 |
| Hourly labour cost in manufacturing, 2023 / 2024 / 2025 (EUR) | 8.0 / 9.0 / 10.2 | 32.1 / 33.8 / 35.0 | lc_lci_lev |
| Change in hourly labour cost, 2023→2025 | +27.5% | +9.0% | lc_lci_lev |
| Manufacturers (10+ employees) using at least one AI technology, 2025 (2024) | 5.3% (4.4%) | 17.3% (10.6%) | isoc_eb_ain2 |
| All enterprises (10+) using AI, 2025 (2024) | 8.6% (6.5%) | 20.0% (13.5%) | isoc_eb_ai |
| Enterprises with at least basic digital intensity (DII v4), all sectors, 2024 | 50.9% | 73.7% | isoc_e_dii |
| Job vacancy rate in manufacturing, 2025 (2024) | 0.7% (0.6%) | 1.5% (1.8%) | jvs_a_rate_r2 |
| Electricity price, industrial band 2,000–19,999 MWh, excl. VAT, 2025-S2 (EUR/kWh) | 0.163 | 0.192 | nrg_pc_205 |
Source: Eurostat, dataset codes in the last column. Value added per worker is our calculation (gross value added ÷ employed persons). Labour cost is in EUR and includes exchange-rate effects.
Sector mix: the top five branches
| # | Branch | Value added (EUR m) | Share of manufacturing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food, beverages and tobacco | 2,004 | 15.8% |
| 2 | Fabricated metal products | 1,609 | 12.7% |
| 3 | Machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 851 | 6.7% |
| 4 | Textiles and apparel | 819 | 6.4% |
| 5 | Refined petroleum products | 802 | 6.3% |
Source: Eurostat nama_10_a64, B1G, current prices, 2023. Total manufacturing value added 2023: EUR 12,714 m. Share is our calculation. Non-metallic mineral products (778) and rubber and plastic products (755) follow.
Where the industry is
Bulgaria's manufacturing is less concentrated in automotive than Romania's or that of the Central European countries in this report. Motor vehicles are not in the top five branches; food, metal fabrication and machinery lead. Eurostat counts 29,512 manufacturing enterprises for 2023 (sbs_ovw_act). We have not verified a regional breakdown or a list of major plants, so we do not publish one.
The pressure on Bulgarian plants
Labour cost. Hourly labour cost in manufacturing rose from €8.0 in 2023 to €9.0 in 2024 and €10.2 in 2025, +27.5%, against +9.0% in the EU-27 (Eurostat lc_lci_lev). It is still the lowest of the seven countries.
Productivity gap. In 2025 hourly labour cost rose 13.3% while value added per worker fell 0.2% — the widest gap in this report (our calculation from lc_lci_lev, nama_10_a10 and nama_10_a10_e; nominal EUR, different denominators). Whole-economy productivity per hour was 59.0, EU-27 = 100, up from 57.9 (Eurostat tesem160).
Energy. €0.163/kWh excluding VAT for the 2,000–19,999 MWh band in the second half of 2025, the lowest of the seven and below the EU-27 average of €0.192 (Eurostat nrg_pc_205).
People. The manufacturing job vacancy rate was 0.7% in 2025, below the EU-27 rate of 1.5% (Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2).
Digital and AI maturity
5.3% of Bulgarian manufacturers with 10+ employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, up from 4.4% in 2024 (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2), against 17.3% in the EU-27. The 2025 survey asked broader questions, so part of the rise is methodological. The larger gap is at the base: 50.9% of enterprises reached at least basic digital intensity in 2024, the lowest of the seven countries, against 73.7% in the EU-27 (isoc_e_dii). We did not find a national Industry 4.0 survey with hard figures.
What this means for a mid-size plant in Bulgaria
- Do not rely on the cost gap lasting. At the 2023–2025 pace, labour cost rises by roughly a quarter every two years. Model your margins at that rate, not at today's level.
- Get the basics digital first. With half of enterprises below basic digital intensity, the first step in many plants is replacing paper shift reports with a consistent record of output, stops and scrap.
- Start on one line. Log stops and reasons on the bottleneck for a few weeks, by hand or spreadsheet, before choosing any system.
- Compare options. Local integrators, MES suppliers and dedicated monitoring tools all exist. Disclosure: manufacturingml.com is published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which sells production-monitoring and OEE software.
Trade fairs, 2026–2027
We did not confirm any Bulgarian industrial trade fair dates for 2026–2027 for this release.
Funding
In Bulgaria, 226 SME projects were approved under the PKIP "Industry 4.0 technologies" call and contracts were being signed in August 2026; we track status, eligibility and deadlines, dated and linked to the official agency, on factoryoptimizationai.com/cee/ — check the current call documentation before you plan around any of it.
Every indicator on this page for 7 countries, EU-27 and Germany, with Eurostat dataset codes and links. Excel.
- CEE 2026 data report: all seven countries compared
- Poland country profile
- Czechia country profile
- Romania country profile
- Hungary country profile
- Slovakia country profile
- Slovenia country profile
- CEE Manufacturing Data Pack 2026 (xlsx)
Questions
- How productive is Bulgarian manufacturing compared with the EU?
- Value added per manufacturing worker was €23.2k in 2025, about 26% of the EU-27 figure of €89.3k (our calculation from Eurostat nama_10_a10 and nama_10_a10_e, nominal EUR). Whole-economy productivity per hour was 59.0 against an EU-27 index of 100 (Eurostat tesem160, 2025).
- How fast is manufacturing labour cost rising in Bulgaria?
- From €8.0 an hour in 2023 to €10.2 in 2025, +27.5%, against +9.0% in the EU-27 (Eurostat lc_lci_lev).
- How many Bulgarian manufacturers use AI?
- 5.3% of manufacturers with 10+ employees in 2025, against 17.3% in the EU-27 (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2).
Sources
- Eurostat nama_10_a10 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nama_10_a10_e (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nama_10_a64 (2023)
- Eurostat sbs_ovw_act (2023)
- Eurostat isoc_eb_ai (2024–2025)
- Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat isoc_e_dii (2024)
- Eurostat lc_lci_lev (2023–2025)
- Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat tesem160 (2024–2025)
- Eurostat nrg_pc_205 (2025-S2)
- mig.government.bg: PKIP BG16RFPR001-1.008 Industry 4.0 call page
Published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which makes production-monitoring and OEE software, with an office in Bucharest (TEEPTRAK SRL). Figures are sourced on each page. Funding rules change: check the official call documents before you budget.