site.btaHousehold Budget Survey Starts on February 1

In 2026 the National Statistical Institute (NSI) will conduct for the 101st time its oldest statistical survey, the Household Budget Survey, the Institute announced on its website. The survey starts on February 1 and will be conducted for one year with a new methodology and sample, in line with EU regulations.

5,580 households from all over the country participate, selected randomly, divided into three subsamples of 1,860 households each. Each household participates in the survey four times within twelve months on a rotational basis. The main focus of the household budget survey is on the household expenses, estimates for which will be received and published for the survey year. No information on the quantities of food and beverages consumed by the households will be collected. For the first time, households will have the opportunity to fill out their diaries not only on paper but also electronically.

The data provided by the households will be collected, processed and stored only for statistical purposes.

There will be a break in the published time series with expenditure estimates, because a new version of the international classification of individual consumption by purpose (COICOP 2018) will be used, the NSI added.

The Household Budget Survey is the oldest sample statistical survey in Bulgaria. Since its beginning in 1925, it has been the main source for obtaining summarized information on the income, expenditure and consumption of the population in the country, the NSI stated.