Europe & Central Asia · High income
Bulgaria: the economy in numbers
Per person: $20,328, or $44,451 at purchasing power parity. Population: 6.43 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #63 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +2.6%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $78.4 billion in 1980, $131 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $8,842 per person in 1980, $20,328 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 2.9% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1980: 10 of 46.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 2.9 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 1,058% in 1997. Years with inflation above 100%: 3. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1998: 78.7% of GDP in 1999. IMF forecast for 2031: 40.9%.
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2025 listed domestic companies were worth $11.2 billion, or 8.5% of GDP.
Population
1960: 7.87 million · 2025: 6.43 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 11.1% · 2025: 3.5%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 69.2 years · 2024: 75.8 years.
Exports of goods and services
1980: 35.7% · 2025: 50.7%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 2.4%f | 2.2%f | 40.9%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 2.5%f | 2.4%f | 39.8%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 2.5%f | 2.5%f | 38.2%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 2.6%f | 3.4%f | 36.2%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 2.7%f | 4.8%f | 34.6%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2.6%f | 4.9%f | 32.9%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $131B | $20,328 | $44,451 | 3.1% | 4.6% | 29.9% | 6.43M | 3.5% | 8.5% | 50.7% | |
| 2024 | $113B | $17,597 | $41,970 | 3.4% | 2.4% | 23.8% | 6.44M | 4.2% | 7.4% | 75.8 | 56.4% |
| 2023 | $102B | $15,854 | $38,829 | 1.7% | 9.4% | 22.9% | 6.45M | 4.3% | 7.7% | 75.8 | 62.0% |
| 2022 | $90.5B | $14,000 | $36,320 | 4.1% | 15.3% | 22.5% | 6.47M | 4.1% | 17.4% | 74.2 | 70.0% |
| 2021 | $84.4B | $12,967 | $30,959 | 7.8% | 3.3% | 23.9% | 6.51M | 5.2% | 20.2% | 71.2 | 61.8% |
| 2020 | $70.5B | $10,761 | $27,352 | −3.1% | 1.7% | 22.7% | 6.55M | 5.0% | 25.1% | 73.4 | 56.5% |
| 2019 | $68.5B | $10,354 | $26,766 | 3.8% | 3.1% | 18.4% | 6.62M | 4.1% | 23.4% | 75.1 | 64.3% |
| 2018 | $66.1B | $9,850 | $23,998 | 2.3% | 2.8% | 20.1% | 6.71M | 5.2% | 23.7% | 75.0 | 65.9% |
| 2017 | $59.2B | $8,697 | $22,317 | 2.7% | 2.1% | 22.9% | 6.8M | 6.2% | 74.8 | 67.0% | |
| 2016 | $53.9B | $7,823 | $20,746 | 3.0% | −0.8% | 27.0% | 6.89M | 7.6% | 74.8 | 63.9% | |
| 2015 | $50.8B | $7,269 | $18,896 | 3.4% | −0.1% | 25.4% | 6.98M | 9.1% | 74.6 | 63.8% | |
| 2014 | $57.1B | $8,070 | $17,991 | 0.9% | −1.4% | 26.3% | 7.07M | 11.4% | 74.5 | 64.6% | |
| 2013 | $55.8B | $7,796 | $16,894 | −0.5% | 0.9% | 17.2% | 7.16M | 12.9% | 74.9 | 64.6% | |
| 2012 | $54.3B | $7,432 | $16,327 | 0.7% | 3.0% | 16.5% | 7.31M | 12.3% | 74.3 | 60.3% | |
| 2011 | $57.7B | $7,850 | $15,747 | 2.1% | 4.2% | 14.3% | 7.35M | 11.3% | 14.3% | 74.2 | 58.8% |
| 2010 | $50.7B | $6,854 | $14,954 | 1.6% | 2.4% | 14.1% | 7.4M | 10.3% | 14.6% | 73.5 | 50.1% |
| 2009 | $52B | $6,989 | $14,188 | −3.3% | 2.8% | 14.5% | 7.44M | 6.8% | 16.6% | 73.4 | 42.2% |
| 2008 | $54.5B | $7,272 | $14,347 | 6.1% | 12.3% | 14.7% | 7.49M | 5.6% | 16.3% | 73.0 | 52.5% |
| 2007 | $44.4B | $5,889 | $12,822 | 6.7% | 8.4% | 17.6% | 7.55M | 6.9% | 48.8% | 72.7 | 52.4% |
| 2006 | $34.4B | $4,523 | $11,406 | 6.8% | 7.3% | 22.6% | 7.6M | 9.0% | 30.0% | 72.6 | 47.0% |
| 2005 | $29.9B | $3,900 | $10,291 | 7.1% | 5.0% | 28.5% | 7.66M | 10.1% | 17.0% | 72.6 | 42.5% |
| 2004 | $26.2B | $3,390 | $9,201 | 6.5% | 6.1% | 37.8% | 7.72M | 12.0% | 10.7% | 72.6 | 41.0% |
| 2003 | $21.1B | $2,720 | $8,416 | 5.2% | 2.3% | 45.4% | 7.78M | 13.7% | 8.3% | 72.1 | 34.4% |
| 2002 | $16.4B | $2,093 | $7,786 | 5.9% | 5.8% | 53.4% | 7.84M | 18.1% | 4.4% | 71.9 | 33.6% |
| 2001 | $14.2B | $1,771 | $6,960 | 3.8% | 7.4% | 67.1% | 8.01M | 19.9% | 0.6% | 71.8 | 34.9% |
| 2000 | $13.2B | $1,621 | $6,424 | 4.6% | 10.3% | 73.3% | 8.17M | 16.2% | 1.0% | 71.7 | 36.2% |
| 1999 | $13.6B | $1,661 | $5,808 | −8.4% | 2.6% | 78.7% | 8.21M | 14.1% | 0.8% | 71.4 | 42.7% |
| 1998 | $15B | $1,821 | $6,178 | 3.8% | 18.7% | 67.3% | 8.26M | 12.2% | 1.0% | 71.1 | 41.9% |
| 1997 | $11.3B | $1,361 | $5,751 | −14.1% | 1,058% | 8.31M | 13.7% | 70.4 | 49.6% | ||
| 1996 | $12.3B | $1,470 | $6,849 | 5.2% | 121.6% | 8.36M | 12.5% | 0.0% | 70.9 | 48.5% | |
| 1995 | $19B | $2,259 | $7,743 | 2.9% | 62.1% | 8.41M | 11.1% | 0.3% | 71.1 | 32.3% | |
| 1994 | $9.71B | $1,150 | $7,337 | 1.8% | 96.1% | 8.44M | 12.8% | 0.5% | 71.2 | 45.0% | |
| 1993 | $10.8B | $1,279 | $7,032 | −1.5% | 72.9% | 8.47M | 16.4% | 0.1% | 71.3 | 38.2% | |
| 1992 | $8.6B | $1,007 | $6,917 | −7.3% | 91.3% | 8.54M | 15.3% | 71.5 | 47.1% | ||
| 1991 | $7.63B | $884 | $7,215 | −8.4% | 338.4% | 8.63M | 11.1% | 71.6 | 43.5% | ||
| 1990 | $20.7B | $2,377 | $7,548 | −9.1% | 23.8% | 8.72M | 71.6 | 33.1% | |||
| 1989 | $21.7B | $2,450 | −3.3% | 6.4% | 8.88M | 71.7 | 46.4% | ||||
| 1988 | $23B | $2,561 | 10.9% | 2.4% | 8.98M | 71.6 | 45.6% | ||||
| 1987 | $28.4B | $3,169 | 6.1% | 2.7% | 8.97M | 71.5 | 40.8% | ||||
| 1986 | $20.3B | $2,262 | 4.2% | 2.7% | 8.96M | 71.7 | 40.0% | ||||
| 1985 | $17.6B | $1,960 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 8.96M | 71.2 | 42.8% | ||||
| 1984 | $17.4B | $1,943 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 8.96M | 71.5 | 40.1% | ||||
| 1983 | $17B | $1,897 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 8.94M | 71.4 | 37.2% | ||||
| 1982 | $19.8B | $2,221 | 2.3% | 2.8% | 8.92M | 71.2 | 34.3% | ||||
| 1981 | $20.1B | $2,256 | 4.9% | 0.0% | 8.89M | 71.6 | 35.6% | ||||
| 1980 | $20B | $2,261 | 5.7% | 0.0% | 8.86M | 71.2 | 35.7% | ||||
| 1979 | 8.83M | 71.3 | |||||||||
| 1978 | 8.81M | 71.2 | |||||||||
| 1977 | 8.8M | 70.8 | |||||||||
| 1976 | 8.76M | 71.4 | |||||||||
| 1975 | 8.72M | 71.0 | |||||||||
| 1974 | 8.68M | 71.2 | |||||||||
| 1973 | 8.62M | 71.3 | |||||||||
| 1972 | 8.58M | 70.9 | |||||||||
| 1971 | 8.54M | 70.9 | |||||||||
| 1970 | 8.49M | 71.3 | |||||||||
| 1969 | 8.43M | 70.4 | |||||||||
| 1968 | 8.37M | 71.2 | |||||||||
| 1967 | 8.31M | 70.4 | |||||||||
| 1966 | 8.26M | 71.2 | |||||||||
| 1965 | 8.2M | 71.3 | |||||||||
| 1964 | 8.14M | 71.1 | |||||||||
| 1963 | 8.08M | 70.3 | |||||||||
| 1962 | 8.01M | 69.5 | |||||||||
| 1961 | 7.94M | 70.2 | |||||||||
| 1960 | 7.87M | 69.2 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Real growth: IMF data for 1980, World Bank for the other years. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–1985, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Europe & Central Asia
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Channel Islands · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Greenland · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Isle of Man · Italy · Kazakhstan · Kosovo · Kyrgyzstan · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · North Macedonia · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Türkiye · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Uzbekistan
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)