Bulgaria

Bulgaria climbed 5 places to 64th, though most of the move came from currency and prices rather than output. US$ GDP rose 15.4% to US$130.8 billion against real growth of +3.1%; the 12.3-percentage-point gap was mostly exchange-rate and price effects, not output. It now sits behind Kenya and ahead of Ecuador.

Services make up 63.3% of output, industry 21.2% and agriculture 2.5%. Inflation was 4.6% and unemployment 3.5%. Government gross debt stands at 29.9% of GDP.

The long run is striking: GDP has grown 9.9x since 2000, when it stood at US$13.2 billion and ranked 81st. With 6.4 million people, output per person is US$20,328, 60th of 196, and $44,451 international dollars on a purchasing-power basis, 58th. The economy is about the size of New Hampshire. The IMF projects US$189.1 billion by 2030, up 45%, which would place Bulgaria 65th among economies with forecasts.