Editing Economy of Bulgaria (section)

===Great Recession===
[[File:Economic Growth in Bulgaria.gif|right|thumb|GDP Growth (green vs. red) and Unemployment (blue) since 2001]]
[[File:Public and Private Foreign Debt for Bulgaria.gif|right|thumb|Public (dark red) vs. private (light red) foreign debt (red line)]]
The country suffered a difficult start to 2009, after gas supplies were cut in the [[Russia–Ukraine gas disputes#Dispute of 2008–2009|Russia-Ukraine gas dispute]]. Industrial output suffered, as well as public services, exposing Bulgaria's overdependence on Russian raw materials.
The [[Great Recession]] led to a decline in growth and employment by the last quarter of 2008. The real estate market, although not plummeting, ground to a halt and growth was significantly lower in the short-to-medium run.

During 2009, the grim forecasts for the effects of the [[Great Recession]] on the Bulgarian economy largely materialized. Although suffering less than the worst-hit countries, Bulgaria recorded its worst economic results since the 1997 meltdown. GDP shrank by around 5% and unemployment jumped. Consumer spending and foreign investment dropped dramatically and depressed growth in 2010 to 0.3%. Unemployment remains consistently high at around 10%.