In February, Bulgaria recorded the highest annual growth in construction output among EU member states, according to Eurostat, even as overall construction activity across the European Union and the euro area experienced a slight monthly downturn.

Data from Eurostat show that EU construction production fell by 0.4% in February compared to January 2025, when it had grown by 0.2%. Within the euro area, the sector contracted by 0.5% after expanding by 0.6% the previous month. This marks the first monthly decline in European construction output since September 2024.

Among the countries that saw the steepest drops in construction output in February were Slovenia, with a 4% decrease, Germany (down 3.2%), and Poland (down 2.3%). Conversely, the strongest monthly gains were reported in Portugal (up 2.9%), France (up 1.5%), and Sweden (up 1.3%).

In Bulgaria, construction output rose by 0.2% in February following a more significant 2.2% increase in January. On an annual basis, however, Bulgaria led the EU with a 7.4% year-on-year increase in construction activity in February, building on an 8.1% rise in January. Italy and Finland followed with annual growth rates of 6% and 5.5%, respectively. The sharpest annual declines were observed in Slovenia (down 10.8%), Germany (down 5.3%), and Hungary (down 4.1%).

Overall, the EU saw a modest 0.3% increase in construction output in February compared to a year earlier, following a 0.5% rise in January. Within the euro area, the year-on-year growth stood at 0.2%, slightly up from 0.1% in January. February marked the 14th consecutive month of year-on-year growth in Bulgaria's construction sector.