In the third quarter of 2025, the city of Plovdiv nearly doubled Sofia in the number of new construction permits issued.
According to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), a total of 2,292 new residential buildings were approved across Bulgaria during the period. These buildings include 13,541 apartments with a combined construction area of 1.475 million square meters.
Additionally, permits were granted for 16 administrative buildings covering 14,736 square meters, and 1,271 other types of structures totaling 683,709 square meters of construction space.
Compared to the previous quarter, the number of permits issued for residential buildings rose by 11.9%. The number of housing units in these buildings increased by 34.2%, while the total construction area expanded by 13.1%.
Permits for administrative buildings rose by 6.7%, though their total area decreased by 37.9%. Other building types recorded growth in both number and total area.
Year-on-year data shows that new residential permits increased by 8.5%, the number of apartments rose by 46.9%, and total construction area grew by 32.3%. In contrast, both the number and area of administrative buildings declined compared to the same period last year.
The regions leading in new building approvals were as follows:
➤ Plovdiv – 442 buildings
➤ Sofia (city) – 230 buildings
➤ Sofia region – 226 buildings
➤ Varna – 215 buildings
➤ Burgas – 186 buildings
In terms of the number of new apartments, Plovdiv again ranked first with 3,744 units under construction, followed by Sofia (3,000), Burgas (2,090), Varna (1,236), and Blagoevgrad (445).
Experts attribute Plovdiv’s strong performance to rising investor interest and the region’s growing economic activity.
New construction up, number of apartments down
During the third quarter of 2025, construction began on 1,797 new residential buildings nationwide. These projects include 6,443 apartments covering a total of 880,935 square meters. Work also started on 9 administrative buildings (7,284 m²) and 654 other types of structures (418,159 m²).
Compared to the previous quarter, the number of new buildings started increased by 9.6%, but the number of apartments within them fell by 20.1%. The total construction area also declined by 8.5%.
Regional breakdown
➤ Plovdiv – 287 residential buildings, 62 other structures
➤ Sofia (city) – 308 residential buildings, 5 administrative buildings, 30 other structures
➤ Sofia region – 174 residential buildings, 44 other structures
