Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Annual Business Statistics and Business Registers Department
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Bulgaria, Sofia, 1038, 2 P.Volov Str.
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
7 August 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
7 August 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
7 August 2025
3.1. Data description
Quarterly business demography (QBD) comprises data on registrations and bankruptcies of legal units in the country.
BNSI provides a number of Registrations, but the NACE breakdowns are not checked and confirmed by the statistical office. The NACE code of the newly registered legal units is as it is declared during the registration in the Registry agency (Commercial register and register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat register).
BNSI provides a number of Bankruptcies, but the NACE breakdowns are not checked and confirmed by the statistical office. The NACE code of the deregistered legal units is as it is declared in the Registry agency (Commercial register and register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat register).
3.2. Classification system
From 2008 onwards NACE Rev.2 classification (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community) is used for all indicators.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Data cover NACE Rev. 2 (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community), market activities Sections B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The NSI provides data on legal entities under the Commercial Law. For example: Joint Stock Company, Special-purpose investment company, Civil Law Partnership, Single-stock company (sole beneficial ownership of a legal entity (Limited Liability Companies), European company, European Cooperative Society, Single-member private limited-liability companies, Branch of a foreign entity, Limited partnership that has limited and general partners, Partnership limited by shares (partners with unlimited liability, in the case of a limited partnership with a share capital), Limited Liability Company, which is limited to the share capital contribution, Entity without share capital, such as a partnership or trust, European Cooperative Society Limited, and others.
And also data on legal entities under the the Law on Obligations and Contracts and Cooperatives Act, Advocacy Act; Investment promotion act; Foreign non-natural person registered under the VAT Act; BULSTAT Register Act. For example: Cooperative organization, Companies under the Law on obligations and contracts, another trader within the meaning of the Commercial Law, Foreign non-natural person with a place of economic activity in the country, and others.
3.5. Statistical unit
The unit of this quarterly data collection is legal unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The unit in quarterly data on registrations refer to legal units. Several legal units can constitute one enterprise, a registration of a new legal unit therefore does not necessarily mean the birth of a new enterprise. The population of registrations of businesses includes: the market units in industry, construction and services (except public administration, defence, compulsory social security, activities of membership organisations and extra-territorial organisations and bodies).
Bankruptcies are defined as the number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a court declaration, at any time during the reference quarter. The court declaration may be provisional and does not always mean termination of an activity.
3.7. Reference area
The territory of Republic of Bulgaria.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The data on the number of new business registrations and the number of bankruptcy declarations in Bulgaria cover the period 2015 - 2024.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable because data are sending in absolute figures.
The unit of measure is Number.
The registrations and declarations of bankruptcies refer to one quarter.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements:
The NSI can provide information on registrations and bankruptcies to each user with an individual request.
Quarterly and monthly.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Regular press releases linked to data on Eurostat’s website.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Regular press releases linked to data on Eurostat’s website.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Microdata is not disseminated.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
QBD data (absolute values) are transmitted to Eurostat within 40 days after the reference period. The transmission is done by eDAMIS using the SDMX format.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
At the end of the quarter, with a reference from the Statistical Business Register (SBR) data is extracted from the SBR database according predefined algorithms for the status of each legal unit registered or filed for bankruptcy during the quarter. The main source for this data is the Commercial Register and register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat Register.
According to the European Business Statistics Manual 2021 edition, the main users are the national accounts.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User satisfaction is measured via download statistics for publications.
12.3. Completeness
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Not applicable.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Q+40 days.
14.2. Punctuality
No cases in which data to be sent after the deadlines given in Release calendar.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
According to the Commercial Register and the register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat Register, traders are registered at one address, which is usually their address of management, and the activity itself can be carried out at another address. These addresses can be even in a different cities.
15.2. Comparability - over time
No changes in the definitions of registrations or declarations of bankruptcies in the course of the period for which data is available.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The statistical unit in the annual business demographic statistics on births is the enterprise, while the quarterly data on registrations refer to legal units.
Registrations and births can also be recorded in different reference periods or years. Due to methodological differences, there is no direct comparability with annual business demographic statistics on enterprise births and for Employer business demography.
Registrations cannot be directly compared to births in the enterprise. Business registrations are part of administrative procedures, while annual business birth data are based on starting a business activity in terms of turnover, employment or investment. The registration of a legal entity can be considered as a declaration of intent, but it does not necessarily mean that it continues as a business activity in accordance with the annual concept of business demography. The registration data is not based on the demographic characteristics of the enterprise "date of commencement", but rather on the "date of registration", which is not necessarily the same.
The bankruptcy indicator is an early sign of measuring sentiment in the business environment. Quarterly insolvency statistics often differ from annual business demographic statistics on enterprise deaths, as they cover enterprise deaths due to bankruptcies as well as other causes. Bankruptcies do not necessarily mean the closure of the business. Even if an undertaking has declared insolvency, this does not always mean that it ceases all activities when it enters insolvency proceedings. In order to be recorded as the death of the enterprise in the annual business demographics, usually all factors of production are dissolved.
There are several methodological differences between the concepts of bankruptcy and death of enterprises. Quarterly business demographics for bankruptcies are based on legal units, while annual business demographics for deaths are based on enterprise statistics.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
NSI has direct access to the data of the Commercial Register.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
The main administrative source for the data - for registrations and bankruptcies, as well as other data for the legal units in the Business Register is the Commercial Register at the Registry Agency.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Quarterly and monthly.
18.3. Data collection
According to Art. 29 of the Law on Statistics, we have direct access to the data of the Commercial Register on a daily basis.
18.4. Data validation
The data that is received from the Administrative sources is not complete. This requires large human resource to improve the quality of data, to correct the errors and to remove the inaccuracies.
Quarterly business demography (QBD) comprises data on registrations and bankruptcies of legal units in the country.
BNSI provides a number of Registrations, but the NACE breakdowns are not checked and confirmed by the statistical office. The NACE code of the newly registered legal units is as it is declared during the registration in the Registry agency (Commercial register and register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat register).
BNSI provides a number of Bankruptcies, but the NACE breakdowns are not checked and confirmed by the statistical office. The NACE code of the deregistered legal units is as it is declared in the Registry agency (Commercial register and register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat register).
7 August 2025
The NSI provides data on legal entities under the Commercial Law. For example: Joint Stock Company, Special-purpose investment company, Civil Law Partnership, Single-stock company (sole beneficial ownership of a legal entity (Limited Liability Companies), European company, European Cooperative Society, Single-member private limited-liability companies, Branch of a foreign entity, Limited partnership that has limited and general partners, Partnership limited by shares (partners with unlimited liability, in the case of a limited partnership with a share capital), Limited Liability Company, which is limited to the share capital contribution, Entity without share capital, such as a partnership or trust, European Cooperative Society Limited, and others.
And also data on legal entities under the the Law on Obligations and Contracts and Cooperatives Act, Advocacy Act; Investment promotion act; Foreign non-natural person registered under the VAT Act; BULSTAT Register Act. For example: Cooperative organization, Companies under the Law on obligations and contracts, another trader within the meaning of the Commercial Law, Foreign non-natural person with a place of economic activity in the country, and others.
The unit of this quarterly data collection is legal unit.
The unit in quarterly data on registrations refer to legal units. Several legal units can constitute one enterprise, a registration of a new legal unit therefore does not necessarily mean the birth of a new enterprise. The population of registrations of businesses includes: the market units in industry, construction and services (except public administration, defence, compulsory social security, activities of membership organisations and extra-territorial organisations and bodies).
Bankruptcies are defined as the number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a court declaration, at any time during the reference quarter. The court declaration may be provisional and does not always mean termination of an activity.
The territory of Republic of Bulgaria.
The registrations and declarations of bankruptcies refer to one quarter.
Not applicable.
The unit of measure is Number.
Not applicable.
The main administrative source for the data - for registrations and bankruptcies, as well as other data for the legal units in the Business Register is the Commercial Register at the Registry Agency.
Quarterly and monthly.
Q+40 days.
According to the Commercial Register and the register of non-profit entities, and Bulstat Register, traders are registered at one address, which is usually their address of management, and the activity itself can be carried out at another address. These addresses can be even in a different cities.
No changes in the definitions of registrations or declarations of bankruptcies in the course of the period for which data is available.
