SOPOT Plovdiv District KARLOVO HISARYA Kaloyanovo BREZOVO > Population (2014) 676,892 SAEDINENIE RAKOVSKI > Area (sq. km) 5,972.9 MARITSA PLOVDIV > SADOVO Number of settlements 224 STAMBOLIYSKI PERUSHTITSA PARVOMAY > Share of urban population (%) 74.9 KRICHIM KUKLEN ASENOVGRAD RODOPI LAKI Overview lovdiv District has better economic indicators than The population of Plovdiv District has continued to Pthe country averages. The economic activity and diminish despite the positive net migration rate in re- the employment rate have increased in the district, but cent years. However, the number of graduates relative unemployment has remained relatively high. The dis- to the workforce has increased, which is important for trict has a serious inflow of foreign capital which has the district’s development. Hospital infrastructure is intensified for the past year. Some municipalities in the among the best in Bulgaria. A drop in the number of district (Hisaria, for example) have utilised EU funds crimes against the person and against property has very intensively while the district centre of Plovdiv has been observed for the past year. The indicators regard- continued to lag. There has been some improvement ing the development of cultural activities in Plovdiv in the local authorities’ transparency, but the develop- District demonstrate some positive trends, but also ment of administrative services has lagged. challenges. 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 Plovdiv District 69 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Income and Living Conditions Infrastructure GDP per capita was 8,920 BGN in 2012, making Plovdiv The road network density in Plovdiv District is not very the eighth richest district in Bulgaria. Income growth high, but the Trakia highway, completed in 2013, is a has lagged in recent years compared to the country av- development factor raising the district’s potential. As at erages. Salary incomes dominate the income structure the end of 2014, however, most of it was in bad condi- of the district. The average annual gross salary per em- tion on the territory of Plovdiv District. Still, about 45% ployed person rose to reach 7,922 BGN in 2013. of roads in the district were in good condition in 2014, a In 2012 46.2% of the district’s residents lived in mate- relatively high proportion compared to the country av- rial deprivation, i.e. they faced difficulties in meeting erage. The railway infrastructure is well developed – rail- their basic needs. The relative share of people living be- way network density is among the highest in Bulgaria. low the poverty line fell to 19% in 2012, but it should Internet use increased in 2014 and 58.4% of the people be noted that the district’s poverty line is relatively high aged 16–74 had used it for the past 12 months. compared to the other districts. Income inequality has slightly increased, and the ratio of the incomes of the richest to those of the poorest 20% of households was 5.4 times in 2012. Taxes and Fees The taxes on properties of companies are relatively low in Labour Market the municipalities of Hisaria (0.6‰), Perushtitsa (1.0‰), Asenovgrad (1.3‰) and Kaloyanovo (1.4‰) in 2015, and The recovery of the labour market in Plovdiv District Hisaria Municipality’s tax rate is the lowest in Bulgaria. has been steady for the past several years (2012–2014). The taxes on the sale of immovable property vary from The economic activity reached 56.4% in 2014 which 1.5% in Kaloyanovo Municipality to 3.0% in the munici- was higher than the country average. The employment palities of Karlovo, Krichim and Sadovo. Taxes are higher rate of the population aged 15+ has increased since in the district centre of Plovdiv (1.8‰ for the immovable 2011 to reach 49% in 2014. Unemployment slightly property tax of companies and 2.5% for the sale of im- shrank but remained relatively high – the rate was movable property). Vehicle taxes are also relatively high. 13.1% in 2014. Annual waste collection charges are relatively low in the The demographic replacement rate was 64.7% in 2014, municipalities of Hisaria (1.51‰), Maritsa (4.20‰) and which means that there were 65 people aged 15–19 Plovdiv (5.30‰), and very high in the municipalities of about to join the workforce per 100 people aged 60–64, Kuklen, Krichim and Laki (22.50‰, 20.00‰ and 16.00‰ about to leave it. respectively). Investment Administration Plovdiv is among the districts with the biggest amount The municipalities of Plovdiv District have performed of attracted FDIs. The inflow of foreign capital has been relatively well in e-services and the provision of one- among the steadiest in recent years and has intensified. stop shop services, but the development of these ser- Several industrial zones around Plovdiv City constitute vices has lagged in recent years. Provision of e-services a positive factor in this regard. The expenditure on the is well developed in the municipalities of Asenovgrad, acquisition of FTAs slightly fell to 1.5 billion BGN in 2013. Plovdiv, Rakovski and Sopot, and one-stop services are The municipalities of Plovdiv District have continued well developed in the municipalities of Asenovgrad, to lag in utilisation of EU funds under operational pro- Hisaria, Laki, Maritsa, Plovdiv and Saedinenie. 24.4% of grammes – the funds they were paid reached 324 m the district’s territory was included in the cadastral map BGN as of 31 January 2015. The municipalities of Hisaria, in 2014, coverage being higher in the municipalities of Krichim, Sopot and Rakovski have the highest absorp- Asenovgrad, Karlovo, Maritsa and Plovdiv. tion rate – 48 m BGN, 26 m BGN, 27 m BGN and 53 m Plovdiv District improved its 2015 Active Transparency BGN, respectively, and Plovdiv Municipality has been Rating of local government bodies by the AIP Founda- the worst-performing district centre in terms of utilis- tion. Asenovgrad and Plovdiv are the best-performing ing EU funds (42 m BGN), weighed against the local municipalities, and the worst-performing ones are those population. of Brezovo, Hisaria and Kaloyanovo. 70 Regional Profiles 2015 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Demography Plovdiv is the second biggest district in Bulgaria with al- rate is slightly higher than the national average (8.3‰ most 677,000 people (2014), 75% living in towns and cit- in 2014). ies. The population of Plovdiv has invariably diminished in recent years, due to the negative natural increase (–4.3‰ in 2014) and the falling positive net migration Security and Justice rate (0.5‰ in 2014). Nonetheless, Plovdiv has remained one of the few districts with the number of settling peo- According to official data, Plovdiv District is relatively ple higher than that of people leaving, and the reasons safe compared to the country, and the number of crimes are mainly due to the search for better education and has dropped for the past year. 5 crimes against the job opportunities. person per 10,000 people were registered in 2014 and The age dependency ratios have remained relatively 70 against property. Data implies that the courts work steady in recent years. There were almost 1.4 times more relatively efficiently and quickly. The share of criminal people aged 65+ than children (aged up to 14) in 2014; cases, tried by the District Court and closed in the first they were also about 30% of the working population 3 months, was 95% in 2013, and the share of pending (aged 15–64). The birthrate was slightly higher than the criminal cases was 5.4% as at the end of 2013, the coun- country average in 2014 – 9.8‰. try average being 8.5%. Judges’ workloads have gone down in recent years in Plovdiv District, reaching 8.2 cases per judge per month, compared to the country av- Education erage of 8.3 cases per judge per month, in 2013. Both the number of schools and the number of teachers have dropped in recent years in Plovdiv District. There were 14.3 students per teacher in 2014. The net enrol- Environment ment rate of the population (grades 5th through 8th) has gradually decreased and it was 78.8% in 2014. The Plovdiv District is not on the list of districts with the high- share of dropouts from primary and secondary educa- est concentration of harmful emissions. Carbon dioxide tion remained relatively high in comparison with the emissions fell in 2013 to 128 t/sq. km. Household waste country average in 2013 – 2.8%, and the relative share collected per capita increased in 2013 and remained of repeaters increased to 2.3% in 2014. In 2015 grades above the average country levels – approximately 496 at state matriculation exams, with the district average at kg per capita of serviced population. 4.31, were slightly above the country average. The rela- Almost 80% of the population lived in settlements with tive share of failing grades, i.e. those lower than Average public sewerage systems in 2013. The population with 3.00, increased to 7% in 2015. access to public sewerage systems connected to waste Plovdiv District is the second biggest university centre water treatment plants is almost 55%. Two urban waste in Bulgaria. The number of students exceeded 40,000 water treatment plants function in the district, in Plov- in 2014. The relative share of the population aged 25- div City and in the town of Hisaria, and a waste water 64 with tertiary education, has increased, thus in 2014 treatment plant was opened in the town of Sopot in one in four people in the work force was a university 2010.