What businesses are Bulgarians starting in 2026?

New companies show how the economy is changing.

Bulgarians continue to actively start their own businesses in 2026. Despite inflation, an uncertain international environment, and changes in the labor market, entrepreneurial activity in the country remains high.

In just the first quarter of 2026, 12,435 new companies were registered in Bulgaria – a growth of nearly 2% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, bankruptcies decreased by almost 6%, indicating that businesses are becoming more cautious but also more resilient.

However, the biggest surprise in the statistics is something else – a huge portion of the new companies are related to trade and digital sales.

A total of 86% of all newly registered companies fall into the broad sector of "Trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles." This does not mean that Bulgaria is massively opening auto repair shops or car dealerships.

In fact, this sector includes:

wholesale trade;
retail trade;
online stores;
e-commerce businesses;
distribution;
import/export companies;
marketplace traders;
sales through Amazon, eMAG, Etsy, and Shopify;
physical stores;
small trading companies;
automotive business;
service and repair activities.

This actually means that a large part of Bulgarians see the most accessible entry into entrepreneurship precisely in sales and trade.

The reason is logical.

Today, a person can start a business:

with just a laptop;
without an office;
with a minimal team;
and with access to the European market from day one.

That is exactly why more and more new companies are starting as:

online stores;
TikTok and Instagram businesses;
e-commerce brands;
niche distributors;
dropshipping models;
import/export companies;
digital trading agencies.

This is a huge change compared to the period 10-15 years ago, when most small companies were local and primarily depended on physical locations.

But beyond trade, other very important trends are starting to emerge.

About 4.3% of all new registrations are in the sectors:

professional services;
consulting;
scientific activities;
marketing;
business services;
administrative activities;
HR and training;
accounting and financial services.

This shows that more and more people are starting to turn their own skills and expertise into business.

Increasingly, specialists are leaving corporate positions and starting:

consulting companies;
marketing agencies;
freelance studios;
AI automation services;
HR and recruitment businesses;
training and academies.

There is also an interesting trend in the sectors of education, healthcare, and wellness.

Nearly 3% of new companies are in these areas.

More and more people are investing in:

private training;
online courses;
mentoring programs;
psychological services;
wellness concepts;
health consultations;
therapies;
personal development.

This is a direct reflection of the changed behavior after the Covid pandemic, when topics of health, mental well-being, and quality of life began to become increasingly important.

The IT sector also continues to grow.

New registrations in the technology sector are not as numerous in absolute terms, but companies there usually start with small teams and high added value.

More and more Bulgarian software and AI companies are being created with the idea of working globally from day one.

Another interesting signal comes from tourism.

Hospitality and restaurant businesses are also reporting new registrations, indicating that entrepreneurs are once again starting to see opportunities in: