site.btaBulgaria Sees EU’s Second-Highest Monthly and Annual Growth in Retail Sales

Bulgaria registered the second-highest retail sales growth in the European Union in May 2025, both on a monthly and annual basis, according to data released by the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat) on Monday.

Seasonally adjusted retail trade volume in Bulgaria rose by 2% in May 2025 compared to April and by 7.2% compared to May 2024, Eurostat’s flash estimates show. Only Portugal reported a higher monthly increase (2.1%), while Cyprus led the annual ranking with a 7.9%.

Earlier today, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) also published preliminary, seasonally adjusted figures for Bulgaria.

Across the euro area, seasonally adjusted retail trade volume decreased by 0.7% in May compared to April, while in the EU as a whole the drop was 0.8%. In April, retail trade volumes had increased by 0.3% in the euro area and by 0.8% in the EU.

On an annual basis, calendar-adjusted retail sales rose by 1.8% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU in May 2025 compared to May 2024.

Monthly changes

In the euro area, retail trade volume declined in May 2025 compared to the previous month by 0.7% for food, beverages and tobacco, by 0.6% in the non-food sector (excluding automotive fuels), and by 1.3% for automotive fuels.

In the EU, retail trade volume fell by 0.8% for food, beverages and tobacco, by 0.7% in the non-food sector, and by 1.2% for automotive fuels.

Among Member States with available data, the sharpest monthly declines were observed in Sweden (-4.6%), Belgium (-2.5%), and Estonia (-2.2%). In addition to Portugal and Bulgaria, Cyprus also reported a notable increase of 1%.

Annual changes

In the euro area, retail sales in May 2025 rose by 0.5% year-on-year, with non-food products (excluding fuels) increasing by 2.4%, and automotive fuels rising by 2.8%.

For the EU as a whole, sales increased by 0.2% for food, beverages and tobacco, by 2.8% in the non-food segment (excluding fuels), and by 3.3% for automotive fuels.

Besides Cyprus and Bulgaria, Luxembourg also recorded strong annual retail growth at 6.3%. The steepest year-on-year declines were registered in Finland (-2.2%), Latvia (-1.9%), and Sweden (-1.8%).