Silistra District
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Silistra District SILISTRA > Population (2014) 115,354 TUTRAKAN SITOVO > Area (sq. km) 2,846.3 Kaynardzha ALFATAR > Number of settlements 118 GLAVINITSA DULOVO > Share of urban population (%) 44.8 Overview ilistra became the district with the lowest GDP per than the national average. In education, results are not Scapita as the crisis began, a fact accompanied by good: a high share of dropouts from the educational extremely low incomes and salaries. Employment re- system, relatively poor results at state matriculation mained limited, and unemployment was the highest exams and a particularly small share of people with in Bulgaria in 2014. Silistra is the country’s most unat- university degrees living in the district. In healthcare, tractive district in terms of foreign direct investments, Silistra ranks among the districts with the acutest insuf- although local taxes and fees are lower than the country ficiency of physicians. The number of registered crimes averages. The district’s municipalities do not offer e-ser- against the person and property has continued to be vices, excluding Sitovo Municipality, and the transpar- among the lowest in Bulgaria. Silistra has performed ency rating of the local administration is relatively low. worse than the other districts in the categories evalu- The district’s demographic situation is less favourable ating the environment and cultural life. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Weak Unsatisfactory Average Good Very good Weak Unsatisfactory Average Good Very good Income and Living Conditions Demography Labor Market Education Investment Healthcare Infrastructure Security and Justice Taxes and Fees Environment Administration Culture Silistra District 85 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Income and Living Conditions Prior to the crisis Silistra was the district with the third The utilisation of EU funds has been consistent with the lowest GDP per capita after Sliven and Yambol. The dis- general trends – 509.5 BGN per capita were paid as of trict has lagged behind in GDP growth since 2009 and, 31 January 2015 in the municipalities of Silistra District, excluding 2011, had the lowest GDP per capita till 2012. compared to the country average of 564.9 BGN per cap- GDP per capita was 5,206 BGN in 2012, half the nation- ita. Glavinitsa Municipality has drawn down most funds al average of 10,958 BGN. The income per household (971.5 BGN per capita), and Alfatar Municipality has uti- member in the district was also the lowest in 2014 and lised least – 9.3 BGN per capita. salaries in Silistra were among the lowest in the country. Data on living conditions is consistent with the coun- try average levels. The share of the population living in Infrastructure households with low work intensity is below the country The district’s location in the periphery of the country ac- average, but the reason for that could be the district’s counts for the lower railway network density. Road net- ageing population. work density is consistent with the national average. As in 2013, the quality of roads was better than the country average in 2014. 46.7% of roads were in good condition in 2014 compared to the country average of 40.5%. Labour Market Households’ access to the Internet is commensurate The economic activity of the population aged 15+ in- with the country average, but its use has continued to creased in the district after the slump at the beginning be less intensive compared to the other districts. 51.9% of the crisis (2009 and 2010), but it has traditionally re- of the district’s residents had used the Internet for the mained below the country averages. The economic activ- past year in 2014 compared to the country average of ity rate in the district reached 49.5% in 2014 compared 59.2%. to the national average of 54.1%. At the same time, un- employment has been on the increase since 2009, and Silistra District had the highest unemployment rate in Taxes and Fees 2014, 22.4%, double the country average of 11.4%. Local taxes and fees are generally lower in Silistra Dis- Silistra District has the second lowest employment rate trict than the country averages, and some of them have (after Lovech), 38.4% in 2014 compared to 48% for Bul- even been lowered further in the past four years. The an- garia. Nonetheless, some growth was reported in 2014, nual license tax for retailers, which is lower by more than relative to 2013 when employment reached its 10-year one third in the district’s municipalities compared to the bottom of 37.1%, and that growth could mark the be- country average, differs most from the average levels. ginning of a sustainable recovery of employment in the The immovable property tax and the local tax on the district. sale of immovable property are lower by about 5–10%. Investment Administration The territory included in the cadastral map is smaller A total of 4,000 non-financial companies operated in than the country average. 14.2% of the district’s territory Silistra District in 2013. Relative to the district’s popula- was included in the cadastral map in 2014 compared to tion, this accounts for 33 companies per 1,000 people the country average of 18.1%, and no progress has been compared to the country average of 52 companies per reported since 2010. 1,000 people. That low business activity goes hand in hand with very few domestic and foreign investments in No municipalities in the district offer e-services, except the district. Expenditure on the acquisition of FTAs was Sitovo Municipality and one-stop shop services are less 1,511 BGN per capita in 2013, despite its increase after developed compared to most districts. the slump at the beginning of the crisis, compared to The 2015 Active Transparency Rating of local govern- the country average of 2,490 BGN per capita. The district ment bodies, provided by the AIP Foundation, is 44.5 has also ranked last since 2009 in FDIs that reached an points out of 88.4, in comparison with 54.5 points for aggregate of 33 m BGN as at the end of 2013, or 0.1% of Bulgaria. The administration of Alfatar Municipality has all FDIs in Bulgaria. Relative to the population, FDIs were been the most transparent for two years in a row with 71 290.2 euros per capita in 2013 compared to the national points. Dulovo Municipality’s result is the lowest in 2015 average of 3,230.9 euros per capita. (28.3 points). 86 Regional Profiles 2015 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Demography The district’s demographic situation is less favourable the country average of 4.8 beds per 1,000 people. At than it is nationwide. The age dependency ratios contin- the same time, the number of hospitalisations, relative ued to surge, and the ratio of the population 65+ to the to the population, was higher by 17% – 204.8 per 1,000 population of working age was 34% in 2014, while the people compared to the country average of 175.4 per ratio of the population 65+ to the population 0-15 was 1,000 people. 163%. For the country as a whole, these ratios were 30%, and 144%, respectively. The rate of natural increase has remained quite high but negative in 2014: –8.4‰ com- Security and Justice pared to the country average of –5.7‰. The district has The crime rate is more limited compared to Bulgaria’s av- featured a negative net migration rate, which shows that erage. 3.5 crimes against the person per 10,000 people, more people leave to settle in other districts than come compared to 5.9 crimes per 10,000 people for the coun- to settle in Silistra District. try, and 40.1 crimes against property per 10,000 people, Silistra has the lowest share of urban population after compared to the country average of 89 per 10,000 peo- Kardzhali District. 44.8% of the district’s population ple, were registered in 2014. lived in towns and cities in 2014 compared to the na- The workload of penal judges at Silistra District Court tional average of 73.1%. In 2014 Silistra also had the low- has traditionally been less intensive than the country est population density as well. average, due to the small size of the population and the low business activity. Nonetheless, the share of cases Education closed in the first 3 months has been lower than the country average – 86% compared to 88.4%. This implies Enrolment rate (grades 5th through 8th) was similar to a certain degree of ineffectiveness of legal proceedings. the national average in 2014 as well, but the number of dropouts from primary and secondary education was high. 3% of students dropped out of school in 2013 com- pared to the country average of 2.4%. Simultaneously, Environment grades at state matriculation exams were relatively low. Silistra is among the districts with the lowest level of car- 9% of students failed at the state matriculation exam bon dioxide emissions. The emissions in the district have in 2015 compared to the nationwide figure of 6.4%. A not exceeded 24 t/sq. km for the past four years, while surge in the number of unsatisfactory grades was noted the country average is about 300–400 t/sq. km. this year in several districts, including Silistra. This could be due to the stricter control measures during the ex- The share of the population living in settlements with ams. The average grade from the state matriculation access to public sewerage systems, connected to waste exam has also slumped – from 4.2 in 2014 to 3.9 in 2015 water treatment plants, has continued to be particularly compared to the 2015 country average of 4.2.