REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN BULGARIA TODAY: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES

Abstract

To accelerate Bulgaria's economic development taking into account the specific characteristics of their regions is a serious challenge for the local governments in the country. The ongoing political and economic changes require a reassessment of the country's economic development. The aim of this study was to analyse the disparities among Bulgaria’s regions (defined in accordance with the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)) by assessing the degree of economic, social and demographic challenges they face and performing a multivariate comparative analysis with sets of statistically significant indicators. The analysis clearly outlines the boundaries of the regional disparities and the need to improve the country’s regional and cohesion policies.