The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People’s Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
land: 108,489 sq km
water: 2,390 sq km
border countries (5): Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 472 m
arable land: 29.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 15.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 36.7% (2018 est.)
other: 16.4% (2018 est.)
6,827,736 (2023 est.)
noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian
Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)
note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 9–11% of Bulgaria’s population
Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s):
Светoвен Алманах, незаменимият източник за основна информация. (Bulgarian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)
0-14 years: 14.03% (male 492,147/female 465,612)
15-64 years: 65.17% (male 2,263,479/female 2,185,969)
65 years and over: 20.81% (2023 est.) (male 570,425/female 850,104)
total dependency ratio: 57.3
youth dependency ratio: 22
elderly dependency ratio: 35.3
potential support ratio: 2.8 (2021 est.)
total: 44.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 43 years
female: 46.6 years
-0.66% (2023 est.)
8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations
urban population: 76.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: -0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
26.4 years (2020 est.)
7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)
male: 72.6 years
female: 79.2 years
1.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.73 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 99.5% of population
rural: 97.4% of population
total: 99% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 2.6% of population
total: 1% of population (2020 est.)
8.5% of GDP (2020)
4.2 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
7.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
25% (2016)
total: 11.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 4.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 1.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 4.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 39% (2020 est.)
male: 40.9% (2020 est.)
female: 37.1% (2020 est.)
1.9% (2014)
57.3% (2023 est.)
4% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 98.7%
female: 98.2% (2021)
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2020)
air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
agricultural land: 46.9% (2018 est.)
arable land: 29.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 15.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 36.7% (2018 est.)
other: 16.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 76.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: -0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.22% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.14% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 17.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 41.71 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 6.77 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 3.011 million tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 572,993 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 19% (2015 est.)
Dunav (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
municipal: 840 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 3.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 760 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
21.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
upper-middle-income EU economy; improving living standards and very robust economic growth; coal-based infrastructure; legacy structural vulnerabilities and widespread corruption; increasing Russian economic relations, particularly through energy trade
$167.804 billion (2021 est.)
$155.902 billion (2020 est.)
$162.328 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
7.63% (2021 est.)
-3.96% (2020 est.)
4.04% (2019 est.)
$24,400 (2021 est.)
$22,500 (2020 est.)
$23,300 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$68.49 billion (2019 est.)
3.3% (2021 est.)
1.67% (2020 est.)
3.1% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: BBB (2017)
Moody’s rating: Baa1 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: BBB (2019)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 4.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 28% (2017 est.)
services: 67.4% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 61.6% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 16% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 19.2% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 66.3% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -64.8% (2017 est.)
wheat, maize, sunflower seed, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, grapes, tomatoes, watermelons
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers
1.72% (2021 est.)
3.291 million (2021 est.)
note: number of employed persons
5.42% (2021 est.)
5.12% (2020 est.)
4.23% (2019 est.)
total: 14.2% (2021 est.)
male: 14.3%
female: 14%
23.8% (2019 est.)
40.3 (2019 est.)
on food: 19.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 5% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 31.2% (2017)
revenues: $24.487 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $26.544 billion (2020 est.)
1.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
32.24% of GDP (2020 est.)
26.92% of GDP (2019 est.)
28.69% of GDP (2018 est.)
note: defined by the EU’s Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds
20.27% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$373.66 million (2021 est.)
-$31.19 million (2020 est.)
$1.264 billion (2019 est.)
$51.505 billion (2021 est.)
$39.541 billion (2020 est.)
$44.041 billion (2019 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Germany 16%, Romania 8%, Italy 7%, Turkey 7%, Greece 6% (2019)
copper, wheat, electricity, refined petroleum, packaged medicines (2021)
note: Bulgarian amphetamine production remains a significant illicit trade export
$50.059 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$38.197 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$41.843 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Germany 11%, Russia 9%, Italy 7%, Romania 7%, Turkey 7% (2019)
crude petroleum, copper, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum (2019)
$39.188 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$37.86 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$27.902 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$39.059 billion (2019 est.)
$41.139 billion (2018 est.)
leva (BGN) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
1.654 (2021 est.)
1.716 (2020 est.)
1.747 (2019 est.)
1.657 (2018 est.)
1.735 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 99.8% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 99.9% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 99.5% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 11.097 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 30,905,170,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 7.115 billion kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 3.707 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 2.767 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 36.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 44.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 9.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 2.01GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 34.6% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 40% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 2
production: 22.298 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 23.213 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 35,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 675,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 2.366 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 4,500 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 97,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 119,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 15 million barrels (2021 est.)
144,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
92,720 bbl/day (2015 est.)
49,260 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 62.439 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
consumption: 2,929,401,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 2.747 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
imports: 2,950,157,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
38.373 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 20.483 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 12.248 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 5.642 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
103.924 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 8 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 44
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,022,645 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.38 million (2018) mt-km
LZ
68 (2021)
57
civil airports: 5
military airports: 6
joint use (civil-military) airports: 1
other airports: 45
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
11
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1 (2021)
2,765 km gas, 346 km oil, 378 km refined products (2017)
total: 4,029 km (2020) 2,871 km electrified
total: 19,512 km (2011)
paved: 19,235 km (2011) (includes 458 km of expressways)
unpaved: 277 km (2011)
note: does not include Category IV local roads
470 km (2009)
total: 80 (2022)
by type: bulk carrier 3, general cargo 14, oil tanker 8, other 55
major seaport(s): Burgas, Varna (Black Sea)
manyapis