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Burgas is an area with a very special economic profile - on the one hand, summer tourism is crucial for many of its municipalities, on the other hand the processing industry, and especially the refinery near the district center remains among the major generators of employment. This is the reason why the development trajectory of Burgas was more severely affected by the coronavirus and restrictive measures - on the one hand the contraction of international tourist flows inevitably hit the largest resorts in the country, but on the other large industry managed to keep free fall on the labor market after the mass closure of hotels and restaurants. However, in the medium term, the district will have to look for a way to diversify its economy, especially coastal municipalities.

The population census brings with it both the collection of many unique data, which are collected once a decade only through it, and improvements in the quality of those that statistics create through their sample surveys.

Varna is the largest economic center of Northern Bulgaria, with the local economy combining tourism, a strong service sector and a manufacturing industry with a transport hub. In recent years, the district has also seen a demographic boom, which also puts it in stark contrast to everyone else in the north. However, due to the important role of tourism and related services in the local economy, Varna suffered a relatively serious blow during the coronavirus crisis, which in turn has less potential for growth in these industries until the international situation normalizes.

Especially for the publication "Regional Profiles: Development Indicators" IME receives data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on the education of the workforce at the district level. The latest ones, for 2020, are also part of the upcoming ninth edition of the study. The data show the share of the population aged between 25 and 64 by levels of education.

Although in 2021 in most municipalities there is an increase in local taxes, the number of cases of reduced taxes is a record.

The study “Regional Profiles: Indicators for Development 2020” was presented online - June 29th 2021

The rapid economic growth in the second half of the past decade did not affect all districts in Bulgaria equally. While the leading economic centers, especially in the south, have managed to pull back and grow faster than the national average, the more isolated areas of the North are achieving more moderate success. Among these areas is Shumen, which has failed to find a formula for outpacing development over the past decade, and despite significant improvements in the local economy, remains behind in most indicators. However, against the background of significant aging in the country, the demographic potential of the district may become a future engine of growth.