Bulgaria holds a leading position in the European mining, ranking second in the production of gold and third in the production of copper in the continent, according to the Bulgarian Mining Chamber. Under the production index per capita our country falls into the definition of a “mining country” with an indicator above the global average.
Nearly 24,000 people are employed in the sector and for the previous year a growth in the average wage is recorded. The mineral-raw materials industry generates about 4% GDP and is one of the pillars of national economy.
Almost 600 are the mining localities in the country. Despite the good results in the extraction of gold and copper, the coal remains the main raw material mined in Bulgaria. 80% of the mining activities in our country are carried in an open way.