The average salary in Bulgaria passed BGN 2,000 and reached BGN 2,072 at the end of September.
During the summer the average gross monthly wage in Bulgaria has been increasing, but in reality September passed the amount of 2000 BGN.
The average gross monthly wage for July 2023 is BGN 1973, for August – BGN 1957, and for September – BGN 2072
In the third quarter of the year it was BGN 2,000 and increased by 14.7% year-on-year and by 2.2% compared to the second quarter. This is according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
On a year-on-year basis, the activities with the largest increase were “Education” – by 20.3%, “Production and distribution of electricity, heat and gaseous fuels” – by 19.6%, and “Hotels and restaurants” – by 18.3%.
Thus, we outperform neighbouring Greece, where average and minimum wages are equal. With the new increase in the minimum wage in Greece, it equals the average wage, which is around 800 euros, according to the newspaper. “Kathimerini.
The minimum wage has risen to €780 gross and private sector wages in 2023 show that around half of those actively working in Greece will receive €700-1000 gross or €820 net.
And another comparison, with one of our other neighbours, Romania, they have also raised their minimum wage. “At the moment the gross minimum basic salary is set at 3,000 lei (1,182.22 leva), in accordance with the provisions of Government Decision No. 1447/2022 on the establishment of the minimum gross basic salary for a country, guaranteed upon payment,” the government announced. In 2023, Romania will increase the minimum gross wage to 3,300 lei per month (just over 1,300 lei). More than 1.8 million employees will be dipeĸt beneficiaries of this measure.
The average wage there is 6095 lei (about 2363 leva).
And one more comparison, quite close to the Bulgarian reality. The average salary (gross) in Serbia has increased by 15%. Its value, calculated in May this year, amounted to 118 992 dinars (BGN 1 986) while the average salary (net) amounted to 86 220 dinars (BGN 1 439), according to data from the country’s National Institute of Statistics.
Thus, Bulgaria ranks after Romania, but quite close to the Serbian wage. A serious crisis is visible in Greece, where, despite inflation, the average wage is equal to the minimum wage. This may bring more Greeks to Bulgaria who would like to do business here, as taxes are still low here, but we are a growing economy.
Serbia’s developing economy is also interesting, as although it is not a member of the EU, it has managed to match our wages. This growth in the economy has also been noticed by the European Union, and Serbia has been granted EU candidate status, which means that the accession process has been triggered in earnest. So, we are expecting news in this direction soon.
In our northern neighbour, goods and services cost 42.2% less than the EU average, while here we pay 41.3% less. At the same time, in Romania wages are higher.