Plovdiv District is located in the central part of Southern Bulgaria, an area of 5972.9 km2 (5.4% of the territory of Bulgaria), and includes 18 municipalities - Asenovgrad, Brezovo, Kaloyanovo, Karlovo, Krichim, Kuklen, Lucky, Maritsa, Perushtitsa, Plovdiv, Parvomay, Rakovski, Rodopi, Sadovo, Sopot, Stamboliyski, Saedinenie, Hissarya. The northern part of the district is mostly flat, with intensively developed agriculture. The southern one is mountainous with developed animal farming, timber industry, and tourism.
Population
The population of the district is gradually decreasing and has reached 666,801 people in 2019, which is 9.6% of the country's population. According to the last census (2011), 87% are of Bulgarian ethnicity, 6% - of Turkish, 5% - of Roma, 2% belong to other ethnic groups (mostly Armenian) or do not self-identify. Despite the general aging in the country, the Plovdiv district is performing relatively well. The population growth in 2019 is -5.3 ‰ compared to the national average of -6.7 ‰. Plovdiv is also one of the seven districts that manage to attract people - in 2019 the coefficient of mechanical growth remains at 3.1 ‰, which the highest for at least two decades. A relatively large part of the population lives in the cities, and the share of the urban population reached 76% in 2019 (compared to 74% in the country). Plovdiv district is the most densely populated city following the capital Sofia and the Sliven district - 2504 people / sq. km compared to 1510 people / sq. km in the country overall.
Labor market
The coefficient of economic activity of the population is 72% compared to the national average of 73.2%. Employment is relatively high and unemployment is low. The employment rate reaches 70.3% (compared to 70.1% for the country) and the unemployment rate - 2.4% (compared to 4.3% in the country). In 2019, the employees in the district were 222,236 people (9.6% of all in the country), and the average monthly salary - BGN 1,083 (below the national average - BGN 1,267).
Education and science
Plovdiv shows good results in the educational field. There are 195 schools and 9 universities in the district. Students' grades in the final exams are accordingly (4.33) for Bulgarian and literature and lay above the national average (4.20). The number of students in the district is the third highest in the country (following Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo). 13.6% of the staff engaged in research and development is concentrated in the Plovdiv district.
Healthcare
The part of the population in the region with doctors is above the average level - 196 people per doctor compared to an average of 235 for the country. 10% of the hospitals and 12.2% of the hospital beds in the country are located in the Plovdiv district.
ECONOMY
According to the latest data (2019), the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the Plovdiv district is BGN 14,460, which is lower than the national average - BGN 17,170. The GDP produced in the district in 2019 is BGN 9,653 million, which ranks it second following Sofia. 61% of the gross value added (GVA) in the district is formed by the services sector. The industrial sector has a 36% relative share in GVA, and the agricultural sector answers for 3%.
Priority industries in Plovdiv district are metallurgy, machine building, agriculture, food industry, tourism, clothing and textile industry, wood processing, and furniture industry. The IT field shows rapid growth, as well as outsourcing, manufacturing, communications, and business services.
Investments
In 2019, the total amount of foreign investments in the area with accumulation is EUR 1,778,214 thousand, and the costs for the acquisition of fixed assets are BGN 2,068,677 thousand. In terms of attracted FDI, Plovdiv ranks third in the country following Sofia and Burgas.
Tourism
For 2019 the Plovdiv region has 242 accommodation places with a total capacity of 11,531 beds, and the realized overnight stays are 1,129,439. There are famous natural and cultural-historical landmarks, resorts, balneotherapy centers in the region. Such are the picturesque Valley of Roses, the balneotherapy centers in Hissarya, Narechenski Bani and Banya, the medieval Assen Fortress, the Bachkovo Monastery, the Arapovski Monastery, the Thracian tomb near the village of Starosel, and others.
Transport and infrastructure
The Plovdiv region has a well-developed road infrastructure. It is connected to the capital by the Trakia highway (120 km). To the east, the Trakia highway, which is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor 8, reaches the city of Burgas (272 km).
Plovdiv is served by four railway stations, one freight station, and three bus stations. The Plovdiv International Airport is located 12 km southeast of the city, near the village of Krumovo, and serves passengers, cargo, and business flights.
Enterprises
Over 35 thousand companies operate in the district (8% of all in the country), incl. 10492 family companies (10% of all).
One of the most successful industrial projects in the country has been created in Plovdiv - Thrace Economic Zone, uniting six industrial zones - "Kuklen", "Rakovski", Agrocenter "Kaloyanovo", "Maritsa", Industrial Park "Plovdiv", Park "Innovations". They shelter 180 companies and investments worth a total of 2 billion euro. Liebherr, Schjenider Electic, and Ferrero (with its local "Agri Bulgaria") are among the key investors.
The group of structurally determining enterprises for the economy of the region also includes the Non-Ferrous Metals Plant (KCM), Ted Bed EAD (TED mattresses), the wholesaler of cigarettes Tobacco Trade, the manufacturer of medical equipment Pentax Medical Bulgaria EOOD, Sienit Holding AD (construction, design, and sale of real estate), the enterprises of the food and beverage industry BARTLINK INTERNATIONAL OOD, Dimitar Madjarov-2, Simid Agro, Nova Trade EOOD and others.
