Kyustendil

GDP per capita in Kyustendil district has been growing, though considerably more slowly than in the country on average, reaching 13,600 BGN/person in 2022, compared to the national average of 26,000 BGN/person. Salaries and pensions are also rising, though relatively slowly. In 2022, the gross annual salary of people employed under labor contract reached 14,000 BGN/person, compared to the national average of 21,200 BGN/person and was once again the second lowest in the country, after that in Blagoevgrad district. At the same time, the average monthly pension for 2023 reached 821 BGN, compared to the national average of 784 BGN. The Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, is decreasing and remains below the country’s average. The poverty level in the district continues to decline and remains low. The share of the population living below the national poverty line in 2023 was 16.1%, versus 20.6% in the country.

The labor market in the district developed relatively well in 2023. Employment registered a considerable increase, while unemployment decreased. The employment rate reached 78.9%, and for the third year in a row exceeded the national average of 76.2%. For its part, the unemployment rate decreased to 7.7%, though remaining above the national average of 5.3%. The educational structure of the workforce in Kyustendil district also continues to improve. Kyustendil is among the districts with the highest share of workforce with secondary education – 70%, compared to 55% in the country, which is in line with the district’s industrial profile. The proportion of people aged 25–64 with a university degree has gone up to 26%, versus 31% nationally, while the share of those with primary or lower education is among the lowest in the country. The labor market in the district continues to face the challenge of population aging. The share of working-age population has shrunk to 55.6%, compared to 58.5% in the country.

Investment activity in Kyustendil district again remained among the lowest in the country in 2022. The number of non-financial enterprises was 64 per 1,000 population, against the national average of 70 per 1,000 population. There has been an increase in investment, as well as in production value, though the relative volumes of both remain low. TFA acquisition expenditures per capita reached 2,100 BGN, versus the national figure of 4,300 BGN/person, while FDI amounted to 423 EUR/person, compared to the national average of 4,500 EUR/person. Production value in Kyustendil district went up to reach 77,300 BGN per employed person, against 122,400 BGN as the national average. At the same time, the share of export earnings in net sales revenues is relatively high – 35%, versus 29% in the country. Utilization of European funds is also lagging behind. By 30 June 2024, payments made in the district to beneficiaries of EU operational programs amounted to 2,127 BGN/person, against 3,175 BGN/person nationally. Within the district, the municipality with the highest amount of utilized EU funding was that of Rila.

The density of the road and rail network in the district again remained higher in 2023 than the national averages for that year. The share of highways and first-class roads is also higher – 21%, compared to 19% in the country, and so is the share of road surfaces in good condition – 56%, compared to the average of 40% nationwide. Households’ internet access in the district went down to 83% in 2023, which was below the national average of 89%. Close to, though slightly below the national average, is the proportion of population with access to a public sewerage network – 70%, versus the national average of 75%, and to a sewerage network connected to a wastewater treatment plant – 62%, versus 67% countrywide for 2022.

In 2024, the average level of the local taxes in the municipalities of Kyustendil district was close to the national average. The tax rates, however, vary considerably. While the annual rates for non-gratuitous acquisition of property and for retail trade are relatively low, those for motor vehicles and non-residential immovable property of legal entities are higher than the average ones. The average tax rate on retail trade in the municipalities of the district is 10.14 BGN/sq. m, versus 13.08 BGN/sq. m in the country. Within the district, the lowest taxes as a whole are levied by Treklyano municipality, and the highest – by Kocherinovo municipality.

The local administrations’ self-assessments of the development of e-government and the provision of one-stop shop services settled above the respective country’s averages in 2024. The AIP Active transparency rating of the local administration has gone up and is no longer the lowest in the country, though still remaining relatively low – 58.7%, compared to the national average of 69.3%. The share of own revenues in the total revenues of the district’s municipalities was 20% in 2023, compared to 27% in the country, while the coverage of municipal expenditures with local revenues was 67%, versus 74% in the country. This is an indicator of the high dependence of local finances on transfers from the state budget.

The rate of natural population increase continues to be considerably below the national average with a value of –13.8‰, against –6.8‰ nationally for 2023. However, the net migration rate is positive, though at 4.3‰, it cannot compensate for the rapid population decline. The share of children under 4 years is 3.7%, compared to 4.5% nationally, and that of people aged 65 and over is 28.5%, versus 23.8% in the country. Population density is relatively low – 1,048 persons/sq. km in the urbanized settlements, against 1,221 persons/sq. km in the country on average for 2023.

The share of children attending kindergarten is increasing and in 2023 it equaled the national average of 88%. In 2023, the rate of enrolment in 5th–7th grade went up to 91%, which was slightly above the national average of 90%. However, the number of school year repeaters has also gone up to equal the national average of 1.2%. The alignment between vocational education and the profile of the local economy is extremely low, mainly due to the inflated enrolment in programs oriented towards the ICT sector, as well as the relatively reduced enrolment for the transport sector. The performance of the students in Kyustendil district in 2024 again remained low. The average score in the NEA in mathematics at the end of 7th grade was 35.8 p., compared to 42.9 p. in the country. The average grade in the State matriculation exam in Bulgarian language and literature was “Good” 4.20, compared to the average of “Good” 4.30 nationally. The number of “fail” grades (below 3.00) was 8.9%, versus 8.7% as the national average.
Kyustendil is among the few districts without a university or university branch on its territory.

The share of people with health insurance in Kyustendil district is traditionally high and in 2023 it covered practically the whole of its population, compared to 95% in the country. The number of beds in the local general hospitals remained close to, though slightly below the national average. Hospital bed occupancy, however, remained low at 44%, versus 56% in the country. The relative number of pharmacies is below the national average.
Kyustendil is among the districts with the highest relative number of GPs, with one GP per 1,443 people, versus one GP per 1,701 in the country, but there is a relative shortage of specialist physicians. The infant mortality rate remains low, while life expectancy is below the national average.

In 2023, the workloads of the criminal judges in Kyustendil district remained below the average ones in the country, yet this had no substantial effect on the speed of delivery of justice. There were on average of 12.4 cases a month per one District Court judge, compared to 14.4 cases per judge nationally in 2022, and 12.5 cases per one Administrative Court judge, versus 14.8 cases per judge nationally. The proportion of criminal cases closed within 3 months is 92%, against 91% in the country, and of administrative cases – 75%, versus 72% nationally. Kyustendil is the district with the lowest share of civil cases closed within 3 months – 45%, compared to 65% in the country. There has been a slight increase in the relative number of registered crimes in the district, though in 2023 it remained below the national average. At the same time, the crime detection rate has increased to 57%, against 53% in the country. The number of police officers in the district is above the country’s average.

The amount of household waste in Kyustendil district remains among the relatively low ones in the country, though over the past few years it has registered a rapid increase. In 2022, it was 372 kg/person per annum, compared to the average of 488 kg/person in the country. At the same time, only a little over half of it was handed over for treatment and recycling – 51%, versus the national average of 76%. The share of forest areas is relatively high – 42%, against 33% in the country, but the share of disturbed area is also above the national average – 0.6%, against 0.4% in the country for 2023. Relative to the population, the installed RES capacities are above the national average. Kyustendil is among the districts with the lowest cooling degree days during hot days, but also among those with the highest consumption of drinking water.

In 2023, cultural life in Kyustendil district again retained its relatively low intensity. Only museum visits relative to the population were above the national average – 1,062 per 1,000 population, against 770 per 1,000 population nationally. The relative number of visits to the cinema, theatre and libraries remained considerably below the respective national averages. The number of beds in accommodation establishments has registered a slight decrease to 38 per 1,000 population, versus 56 per 1,000 population in the country, but the number of overnight stays has risen to 2,290 per 1,000 population, against 4,167 per 1,000 population in the country. There has also been a sharp rise in the number of guest nights booked via online sharing economy platforms, although the relative value of that number is relatively low.