Novinite.com
14 May 2025

Sofia continues to dominate Bulgaria's housing market, securing the top spot for the third consecutive year in the construction of large residential properties. According to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), a record 903 new homes with five or more rooms were completed in the capital in 2024. This marks a significant 60% increase from 2023, reflecting a growing preference among buyers for more spacious living spaces.

Trailing behind Sofia is the Plovdiv region, which saw the completion of 315 such large homes, followed by Varna with 203, Blagoevgrad with 201, and Sofia Province with 173. Several other regions also reported a notable number of large residential units: Burgas added 110, followed by 76 in Pernik, 56 in Pazardzhik, 53 in Stara Zagora, and 41 in Kardzhali. In total, 2,416 large homes (with five or more rooms) were put into operation across Bulgaria in 2024.

Beyond large properties, Sofia also leads in overall residential development. A total of 6,888 new housing units were introduced to the market in the capital last year, far surpassing other regions. Burgas came second with 2,877 new homes, followed by Varna with 2,387, Plovdiv with 2,145, and Blagoevgrad with 1,062.

In contrast, some parts of Bulgaria are experiencing sluggish growth. For example, only 14 new homes were completed in Vidin and 26 in Silistra. Overall, construction in the southern regions of the country remains significantly more dynamic than in the north. The Southwest region, which includes Sofia, recorded 8,964 new homes, while the North Central and Northwest regions lag far behind with 667 and 525, respectively.

When choosing a home to live in, Bulgarians increasingly favor larger apartments with more rooms. However, when it comes to property investment, two-room apartments remain the most popular. In 2024, 7,880 two-room homes were completed (37.5% of the total), compared to 6,891 three-room units (32.8%). Meanwhile, there were 2,497 four-room homes and 1,314 one-room units.

The total number of newly constructed residential buildings in Bulgaria reached 5,201 in 2024, with a combined total of 20,998 new housing units. Most of these buildings (75.8%) were built with reinforced concrete structures, 20.1% with brick, 0.4% with panels, and 3.6% used other materials.

The total usable floor area of the newly constructed homes exceeded 2 million square meters. The average size of a new home is 96.4 square meters, but this varies widely by region. Sofia Province and Silistra reported the largest average sizes ? 142.2 sq.m. and 141.9 sq.m., respectively ? while Pleven and Targovishte had the smallest, at 77.6 and 78.4 sq.m.