Source
Central bank

Bulgarian National Bank

International Reserves

USD 39.19 billion (2021)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2022

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 77.91 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF - World Economic Outlook, October 2021

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

USD 177.70 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF - World Economic Outlook, October 2021

Real GDP growth
2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021*
3.5% 3.1% 3.7% –4.2% 4.5%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 11,331.87 (2021 estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

USD 25,846.68 (2021 estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total

0.12% (2021 estimate)

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 3.4% 
  • industry: 23.0% 
  • services: 60.2%

(2018 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

Inflation
2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021*
6.2% 5.3% 4.3% 1.2% 2.1%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021*
23% 20.1% 18.4% 23.6% 25%

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021*
1.2% 0.3% –0.8% –2.9% –3.6%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021*
3.8% 4.1% 2.2% –3.3% 5.3%

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: BBB–

Moody's: Baa1

Standard & Poor's / Moody's (January 2022)

Market value of publicly traded shares

USD 17.7 billion (2020)

Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD 0.4 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF - World Economic Outlook, October 2021

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

0.52% (2021 estimate)
IMF - World Economic Outlook, October 2021

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

55.3% (2020)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.18% (2020)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.2% (2020)

Total exports

USD 39.2 billion (2020 estimate)

Export commodities

Refined petroleum, packaged medicines, copper, wheat, electricity (2019)

Total imports

USD 38 billion (2020 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Crude petroleum, copper, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum (2019)

Exports - major partners

Germany 16%, Romania 8%, Italy 7%, Turkey 7%, Greece 6% (2019)

Imports - major partners

Germany 11%, Russia 9%, Italy 7%, Romania 7%, Turkey 7% (2019)

FDI inflows
2018 2019 2020
USD 1.1 million USD 1.7 million USD 2.4 million
FDI outflows
2018 2019 2020
USD 249 million USD 420 million USD 204 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2018 2019 2020 2021
USD 34 million N/A USD 94 million 2.7 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

61 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 113 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 43 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 151 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 66 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 67 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 25 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 97 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 21 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 42 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 61 out of 190 countries
World Bank - Doing Business 2020

Global competitiveness ranking

49 out of 141 countries

(2019)

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 29 / Score: 71 (Mostly Free)
The Heritage Foundation - 2022 Index of Economic Freedom

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+2

Total area

110,879 sq km 

Capital

Sofia 

Currency

Leva (BGN) 

Government type

Parliamentary republic

Languages

Bulgarian (official) 76.8%, Turkish 8.2%, Romani 3.8%, other 0.7%, unspecified 10.5% (2011 est.)

Religions

Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim 7.8%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Jewish) 1.7%, none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4% (2011 est.)

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015 2020
8.72 million 8.17 million 7.4 million 7.18 million 6.93 million
 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2020
37.1% 62.1% 68.9% 75.7%
Population median age

43.7 years 

Population growth rate

-0.67% (2022 est.)

Life expectancy

75.6 years

Literacy

Total population: 98.4%

Male: 98.7%

Female: 98.1% (2015)

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write 

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

2.6% (last available estimate, 2019)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

40.3 (last available estimate, 2019)

Freedom House rating

Total score: 79/100

Status: Free

Political Rights: 33/40

Civil Liberties: 46/60 (2022)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 12.6%

Mobile: 114.4% (2020) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

70.2% (2020)

Mercer Cost of living index

N/A

CO2 emissions

5.9 metric tons per capita (2018)

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