site.btaEurostat: Bulgaria Had EU’s Largest Budget Surplus in 2023 Q4

The general government deficit, presented as a ratio to gross domestic product (GDP), stood at 4% in the EU and 4.1% in the euro area in the fourth quarter of 2024. Compared with the previous quarter, the general government deficit grew by 0.5 percentage points in both the EU and the euro area, according to the latest seasonally adjusted Eurostat data, published on Monday.

Bulgaria recorded a government surplus of 3.6% of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to seasonally adjusted Eurostat data. This is the first quarterly surplus for the country's state budget for 2023, with a deficit of 5.5% of GDP in the third quarter.

In October – December 2023, Bulgaria also recorded the largest budget surplus, expressed as a share of GDP, of all EU countries for which data are available. After Bulgaria, Denmark (+2.6% of GDP) and Ireland (1.3% of GDP) had the largest budget surpluses in the EU.