Eastern Europe

With its very low tax burden and strong state finances, Bulgaria enjoys economic freedom, although political instability has been common. High inflation is adversely affecting the economy, but joblessness remains low. Although skills shortages are…

Ageing, urbanisation and migration remain the major drivers shaping the global population. The number of seniors worldwide was increasing in 2022 and is expected to continue growing to 2040. The number of births is declining globally due to falling…

During times of economic uncertainty, chocolate confectionery tends to cede ground to sugar confectionery in Ukraine. This is largely because of the higher prices of chocolate confectionery amid strong pressure on consumer incomes. Towards the end of…

The demand for gum in Ukraine suffered heavily in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country in 2022. This was partly because consumers in Ukraine looked to save money, and they tended to make fewer impulse purchases, which included perceived…

Like other packaged food categories, ice cream suffered in late 2022 and 2023 from electricity outages. These energy problems had strong negative impact on the manufacture and storage of frozen goods. While ice cream is set to register strong retail…