0
-----------------+--------------------+--------+-------+-------+----------
* As determined by research institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences.
Source: Adapted from U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Technical
Services, Joint Publications Research Service--JPRS (Washington),
_Translations on Eastern Europe: Political, Sociological, and Military
Affairs_, "Statistics on Rising Living Standard Given," (JPRS 58,480,
No. 851, 1973).

HOUSING

In common with other Eastern European countries, Bulgaria has suffered a
serious urban housing shortage since World War II, although large
reserves have existed in rural housing. Great numbers of workers have
left the villages over the years to find employment in the rapidly
expanding industrial centers, but housing construction has not kept pace
with this migration. During the early years of communist rule, priority
in the allocation of scarce building materials and funds was given to
the building of new plants and other industrial installations rather
than to new housing. In the 1960s only between 3 and 6 percent of the
gross national income was invested in housing construction as compared
with 20 percent or more in most Western European countries. Bulgaria has
had the lowest housing investment among the communist countries of
Eastern Europe.

In 1970 the Politburo and the Council of Ministers adopted a special
program for the solution of the housing problem within the next ten to
fifteen years. The program stated that the aim of the BKP was to enable
every family to have its own apartment, and every member of the family
his own room. In 1972 there were some 250,000 more urban families than
there were housing units.

Aggravating the housing shortage in the early 1970s was an accelerating
deterioration of old buildings. Money and materials for maintenance of
existing structures have been even scarcer than for new buildings. In
addition, many of the postwar apartment buildings were put up hastily,
using inferior materials and workmanship, and soon turned into crumbling
slums.

In order to spur housing construction without imposing too great a
burden on the state budget, the government was forced to abandon its
intention of providing low-rent housing for everyone. Instead, it has
encouraged the population to invest in its own housing. As a result,
special savings accounts for the purchase of private housing have grown
at a more rapid rate than regular s