Bulgaria completes fewer new homes per person than Romania, data show
Bulgaria completed 26.2 homes per 1,000 residents in a decade. Construction costs rose 145%, while housing loans are growing by about 25% a year.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Despite a building boom in its major cities, Bulgaria lags most European countries in new housing. From 2016 to 2025 it completed 26.2 dwellings per 1,000 residents, ranking 17th among 21 European markets, news portal Fakti.bg reported on Oct. 14, citing data from consultancy Cushman & Wakefield. The figure is 32.9 in Romania, 33.6 in Germany, 55.2 in Poland and 62.8 in Finland. Britain, Hungary, Spain and Portugal built fewer homes per person than Bulgaria.
According to Eurostat, the cost of building new residential buildings in Bulgaria rose 145% between 2010 and 2024, compared with an EU average of 56%. In the second quarter of 2026, home sales fell 18.1% year on year, the third-steepest drop in the EU after Luxembourg and Croatia. The report noted that low completion numbers do not necessarily mean a housing shortage, since demographics, emigration and vacant homes also matter.
Lending, however, continues to support demand. Bulgarian National Bank data cited by Dir.bg show the average rate on new housing loans was 2.42% in August, and the total stock of such loans reached 19.3 billion euros, up 25.2% from a year earlier. The National Statistical Institute says home prices in the second quarter were 15.5% higher than a year before. Compared with the previous quarter, prices rose in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Varna and Sofia but fell 1.5% in Burgas. The Dir.bg article was published with support from real estate agency Bulgarian Properties.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.