Bulgaria records the EU's highest rise in industrial producer prices in September: 22.9% a year

Bulgaria recorded the highest monthly and annual increases in industrial producer prices in the European Union in September, according to Eurostat data published on 5 November and reported by BTA. Prices rose by 4.6% from August and by 22.9% from September 2025.

On the monthly measure, Bulgaria was followed by Lithuania with 4.2% and by Greece and Spain, both with 3.9%. On the annual measure, Ireland was second with 19.9% and Lithuania third with 19%. Luxembourg was the only member state where producer prices fell compared with a year earlier, by 8.1%.

Across the euro area, industrial producer prices rose by 2.5% in a month and by 11.1% in a year. In the EU as a whole, the increases were 2.6% and 10.9%.

Energy accounted for most of the rise. In the euro area, energy producer prices increased by 7.8% from August and by 30.8% from a year earlier. Excluding energy, industrial producer prices rose by just 0.1% in a month and 3.5% in a year. Prices of intermediate goods were 7.1% higher than a year before, capital goods 2.7% and durable consumer goods 3.4%, while non-durable consumer goods were 0.6% cheaper.

Producer prices measure what manufacturers and utilities charge for their output when it leaves the factory gate, before transport, trade margins and taxes. They are often seen as an early indicator for consumer prices, because higher costs for energy and materials can be passed on to buyers over the following months.

For Bulgaria, the figures come alongside other signs of price pressure. Consumer price inflation reached 6.1% in October according to the national statistical institute's flash estimate, and the regulator approved a 32.52% increase in the wholesale natural gas price for November.