Bulgaria's trade deficit increased to some 5.4 billion levs ($3.2 billion/2.8 billion euro) in the first nine months of 2021, compared to a gap of 3.1 billion levs in the same period of last year, the statistical office said on Friday, citing preliminary data.
Nine-month exports (FOB) rose 22.4% on the year to 49.5 billion levs, while imports (CIF) added 26% to 54.9 billion levs, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said in a statement.
In September alone, Bulgaria's trade gap widened to 614.4 million levs, from 476.1 million levs in the comparable month of last year, as exports increased 22.3% to nearly 6 billion levs, whereas imports rose by 22.9% to over 6.6 billion levs.