Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
36 (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total
2.45 million (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadcast media
4 national terrestrial TV stations with 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned; a vast array of TV stations are available from cable and satellite TV providers; state-owned national radio broadcasts over 3 networks; large number of private radio stations, especially in urban areas
Communications: Internet country code
.bg
Communications: Internet users: percent of population
82.44% (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
8 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions
552,000 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
118 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions
7.98 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Agricultural products
wheat, maize, sunflower seeds, barley, milk, rapeseed, grapes, potatoes, triticale, tomatoes (2023)
Economy: Average household expenditures: on alcohol and tobacco
4.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Economy: Average household expenditures: on food
20.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Economy: Budget: expenditures
$37.546 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Budget: revenues
$35.615 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2013
$678.6 million (2013 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2014
$1.251 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2015
$9.3 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2016
$1.673 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2017
$1.921 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2018
$379.8 million (2018 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2019
$1.136 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2020
$1.034 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2021
$208.8 million (2021 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2022
-$2.43 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2023
-$894.86 million (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2024
-$2.014 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Debt - external: Debt - external 2022
$14.277 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates
1.8078 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Currency
leva (BGN) per US dollar -
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2013
1.4736 (2013 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2014
1.4742 (2014 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2015
1.7644 (2015 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2016
1.7680 (2016 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2017
1.7355 (2017 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2018
1.6570 (2018 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2019
1.7470 (2019 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2020
1.7163 (2020 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2021
1.6538 (2021 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2022
1.8601 (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2023
1.8090 (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2024
1.8078 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, garments, refined copper, wheat, natural gas (2023)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2011
$33.910 billion (2011 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2014
$36.846 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2015
$32.382 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2016
$34.440 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2017
$39.637 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2018
$43.570 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2019
$44.051 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2020
$39.808 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2021
$52.185 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2022
$63.246 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2023
$63.415 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2024
$62.661 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: exports of goods and services
55.8% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: government consumption
19.7% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption
57.6% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: imports of goods and services
-53.5% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in fixed capital
17.9% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in inventories
2.5% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture
2.1% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: industry
22.5% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: services
62.6% (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP - per capita (PPP)
$41,969 (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (official exchange rate)
$112.212 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity) - real
$270.343 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2015
38.6 (2015 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016
40.6 (2016 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017
40.4 (2017 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018
41.3 (2018 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2019
40.3 (2019 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2020
40.5 (2020 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021
39.0 (2021 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022
38.2 (2022 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023
39.5 (2023 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%
30.1% (2022 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
2.1% (2022 est.)
Economy: Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, copper ore, cars, packaged medicine, electricity (2023)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2010
$27.008 billion (2010 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2015
$31.957 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2016
$31.788 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2017
$37.065 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2018
$41.805 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2019
$41.762 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2020
$38.027 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2021
$50.089 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2022
$62.261 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2023
$59.158 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2024
$60.029 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Industrial production growth rate
1.9% (2024 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015
-0.10% (2015 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016
-0.80% (2016 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017
2.06% (2017 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018
2.81% (2018 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019
3.10% (2019 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
1.67% (2020 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
3.30% (2021 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
15.33% (2022 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
9.44% (2023 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
2.45% (2024 est.)
Economy: Labor force
3.124 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Population below poverty line
21.70% (2023 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2023
30.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2014
$127.259 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015
$131.975 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016
$143.025 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017
$151.835 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019
$177.101 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020
$179.174 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
$201.460 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
$209.683 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
$213.64 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
$219.645 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2015
3.40% (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2016
3.03% (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2017
2.75% (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2018
2.33% (2018 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2019
3.79% (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2020
-3.13% (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2021
7.83% (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2022
4.08% (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2023
1.68% (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024
3.39% (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2014
$17,991 (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2015
$18,896 (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2016
$20,746 (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2017
$22,317 (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2019
$26,766 (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2020
$27,352 (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2021
$30,959 (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2022
$36,320 (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2023
$38,829 (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2013
$1.667 billion (2013 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2014
$1.718 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2015
$1.524 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2020
$1.985 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2021
$2.010 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2022
2.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2023
2.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2024
2.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2015
$22.153 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016
$25.176 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017
$28.376 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2018
$28.711 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019
$27.902 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020
$37.860 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021
$39.188 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
$40.989 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
$46.334 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
$43.698 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Taxes and other revenues
20.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2019
4.15% (2019 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2020
5.04% (2020 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2021
5.17% (2021 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2022
4.15% (2022 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2023
4.32% (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024
4.20% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): female
11.8% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): male
12.4% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total
12.1% (2024 est.)
Energy: Coal: consumption
20.557 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: exports
1.091 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: imports
753,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: production
20.97 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: proven reserves
2.174 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - rural areas
99.6%
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - total population
100% (2022 est.)
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - urban areas
100%
Energy: Electricity generation sources: biomass and waste
4.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels
35.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: hydroelectricity
7.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: nuclear
40.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: solar
8.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: wind
4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: consumption
34.221 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: exports
7.748 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: imports
4.415 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: installed generating capacity
12.939 million kW (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: transmission/distribution losses
1.972 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023
102.171 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: consumption
2.607 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: exports
2.75 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: imports
2.544 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: production
10.444 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: proven reserves
5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors
2.01GW (2025 est.)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down
4 (2025)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Number of operational nuclear reactors
2 (2025)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Percent of total electricity production
40.3% (2023 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: crude oil estimated reserves
15 million barrels (2021 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: refined petroleum consumption
101,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: total petroleum production
4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from coal and metallurgical coke
14.486 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from consumed natural gas
5.021 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from petroleum and other liquids
13.958 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions
33.465 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Climate
temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Environment: Environmental issues
air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
Environment: International environmental agreements: 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
Environment: International environmental agreements: signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Environment: Land use: agricultural land
46.1% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.3% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 12.7% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: forest
36.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: other
17.7% (2023 est.)
Environment: Particulate matter emissions
18.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Environment: Total renewable water resources
21.3 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: agricultural
726.434 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: industrial
3.879 billion cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: municipal
838 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Environment: Urbanization: urban population
73.95% (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually
2.859 million tons (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: percent of municipal solid waste recycled
29.8% (2022 est.)
Geography: Area - comparative
almost identical in size to Virginia; slightly larger than Tennessee
Geography: Area: land
108,489 sq km
Geography: Area: water
2,390 sq km
Geography: Coastline
354 km
Geography: Elevation: highest point
Musala 2,925 m
Geography: Elevation: lowest point
Black Sea 0 m
Geography: Elevation: mean elevation
472 m
Geography: Geographic coordinates
43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography: Geography - note
strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Geography: Irrigated land
929 sq km (2016)
Geography: Land boundaries: border countries
Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km
Geography: Land boundaries: total
1,806 km
Geography: Land use: agricultural land
46.1% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 32.1% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.3% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 12.7% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: forest
36.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: other
17.7% (2023 est.)
Geography: Major rivers (by length in km)
Dunav (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, 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
Geography: Major watersheds (area sq km): Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
Geography: Map references
Europe
Geography: Maritime claims: contiguous zone
24 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: territorial sea
12 nm
Geography: Natural hazards
earthquakes; landslides
Geography: Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations
Geography: Terrain
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Government: Administrative divisions
28 provinces ( oblasti , singular - oblast ); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Sofia-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Government: Capital: daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Government: Capital: etymology
named after the Church of Saint Sofia in the city, parts of which may date to the 4th century
Government: Capital: geographic coordinates
42 41 N, 23 19 E
Government: Capital: time difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by birth
no
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Bulgaria
Government: Citizenship: dual citizenship recognized
yes
Government: Citizenship: residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Government: Constitution: amendment process
proposed by the National Assembly or by the president of the republic; passage requires three-fourths majority vote of National Assembly members in three ballots; signed by the National Assembly chairperson; note - under special circumstances, a "Grand National Assembly" is elected with the authority to write a new constitution and amend certain articles of the constitution, including those affecting basic civil rights and national sovereignty; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in each of several readings
Government: Constitution: history
several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 13 July 1991
Government: Country name: conventional short form
Bulgaria
Government: Country name: etymology
named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.; the tribal name may come from the Turkic word bulga , or "mixed," referring to the blend of Turkic and Slavic ethnicities in the tribes
Government: Country name: former
Kingdom of Bulgaria, People's Republic of Bulgaria
Government: Country name: local long form
Republika Bulgaria
Government: Country name: local short form
Bulgaria
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires H. Martin McDOWELL (since May 2025)
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: email address and website
acs_sofia@state.gov https://bg.usembassy.gov/
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy
16, Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: FAX
[359] (2) 937-5209
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: mailing address
5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: telephone
[359] (2) 937-5100
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery
1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Stefka YOVCHEVA (since 7 May 2025)
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s) general
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: email address and website
office@bulgaria-embassy.org https://www.bulgaria-embassy.org/en/homepage/
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX
[1] (202) 234-7973
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: telephone
[1] (202) 387 5770
Government: Executive branch: cabinet
Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly
Government: Executive branch: chief of state
President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017)
Government: Executive branch: election results
2021 : Rumen RADEV reelected president in second round; percent of vote in the first round - Rumen RADEV (independent) 49.4%, Anastas GERDZHIKOV (independent) 22.8%, Mustafa KARADAYI (DPS) 11.6%, Kostadin KOSTADINOV (Revival) 3.9%, Lozan PANOV (independent) 3.7%, other 8.6%; percent of vote in the second round - Rumen RADEV 66.7%, Anastas GERDZHIKOV 31.8%, neither 1.5% 2016: Rumen RADEV elected president in second round; percent of vote - Rumen RADEV (independent, supported by Bulgarian Socialist Party) 59.4%, Tsetska TSACHEVA (GERB) 36.2%, neither 4.5%
Government: Executive branch: election/appointment process
president and vice president elected on the same ballot by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly
Government: Executive branch: expected date of next election
fall 2026
Government: Executive branch: head of government
Prime Minister Rosen ZHELYAZKOV (since 16 January 2025)
Government: Executive branch: most recent election date
14 and 21 November 2021
Government: Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red meaning: white stands for peace, love, and freedom; green for the country's agricultural wealth; red for the independence struggle and military courage history: originally adopted in 1879 as a modified version of the Russian tricolor flag, using green instead of blue; the communist coat of arms was added to the flag in various forms between 1948 and 1990, when it was removed after the communist government collapsed
Government: International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Government: International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Government: Judicial branch: highest court(s)
Supreme Court of Cassation consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges; Supreme Administrative Court is organized into 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each; Constitutional Court consists of 12 justices) and resides outside the judiciary
Government: Judicial branch: judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of 4 justices every 3 years
Government: Judicial branch: subordinate courts
appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial
Government: Legal system
civil law
Government: Legislative branch: electoral system
proportional representation
Government: Legislative branch: expected date of next election
October 2028
Government: Legislative branch: legislative structure
unicameral
Government: Legislative branch: legislature name
National Assembly (Narodno sabranie)
Government: Legislative branch: most recent election date
10/27/2024
Government: Legislative branch: number of seats
240 (all directly elected)
Government: Legislative branch: parties elected and seats per party
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Party (GERB) - Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) (66); We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (36); Revival (Vuzrazhdane) (33); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) - New Beginning (29); Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) - United Left (19); Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) (19); There is Such a People (PP-ITN) (17); Other (21)
Government: Legislative branch: percentage of women in chamber
25%
Government: Legislative branch: scope of elections
full renewal
Government: Legislative branch: term in office
4 years
Government: National anthem(s): history
adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War
Government: National anthem(s): lyrics/music
Tsvetan RADOSLAVOV
Government: National coat of arms
Bulgaria’s coat of arms in the national colors of white, green, and red was adopted in 1997; the three lions are a national symbol for strength, courage, and leadership that was used during the country’s liberation movement in the 1870s and the kingdom period in the early 20th century; above the shield is the crown of Bulgaria (originally the crown of the medieval Bulgarian tsars) with a gold cross on top; a white scroll over the oak branches bears the Bulgarian national motto, “United we stand strong”
Government: National color(s)
white, green, red
Government: National heritage: selected World Heritage Site locales
Boyana Church (c); Madara Rider (c); Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (c); Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo (c); Rila Monastery (c); Ancient City of Nessebar (c); Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari (c); Srebarna Nature Reserve (n); Pirin National Park (n); Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n)
Government: National heritage: total World Heritage Sites
10 (7 cultural, 3 natural)
Government: National holiday
Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Government: National symbol(s)
lion
Government: Political parties
BSP for Bulgaria (electoral alliance of BSP, PKT, Ecoglasnost) Bulgarian Rise or BV Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB (alliance with SDS) Democratic Bulgaria or DB (electoral alliance of Yes! Bulgaria, DSB, and The Greens) Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB Ecoglasnost Green Movement or The Greens Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS Political Club Thrace or PKT Revival Stand Up.BG or IS.BG There is Such a People or ITN Union of Democratic Forces or SDS (alliance with GERB) Yes! Bulgaria We Continue the Change or PP We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria or PP-DB (electoral alliance of PP, DB, Yes! Bulgaria)
Government: Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Introduction: Background
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 Ottoman Turks overran the country. 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, the EU in 2007, and the Schengen Area for air and sea travel in 2024.
Military and Security: Military - note
the Bulgarian military is responsible for guaranteeing Bulgaria’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, providing support to international peace and security missions, and contributing to national security in peacetime, including such missions as responding to disasters or assisting with border security; the military trains regularly including in multinational exercises with regional partners and with NATO since Bulgaria joined the organization in 2004; it also participates in overseas peacekeeping and other security missions under the EU, NATO, and the UN; in 2022, Bulgaria established and began leading a NATO multinational battlegroup as part of an effort to boost NATO defenses in Eastern Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; in 2021, Bulgaria approved a 10-year defense development program, which included calls for equipment upgrades and procurements, boosts in manpower, organizational reforms, and greater focus on such areas as cyber defense, communications, logistics support, and research and development the Bulgarian military has participated in several significant conflicts since its establishment in 1878, including the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885), the First Balkan War (1912-13), the Second Balkan War (1913), World War I (1915-1918), and World War II (1941-45); during the Cold War it was one of the Warsaw Pact’s largest militaries with over 150,000 personnel and more than 200 Soviet-made combat aircraft (2025)
Military and Security: Military and security forces
Bulgarian Armed Forces (aka Bulgarian Army): Land Forces, Air Force, Navy Ministry of Interior: General Directorate National Police (GDNP), General Directorate Border Police (GDBP), Special Unit for Combating Terrorism (SOBT) (2025)
Military and Security: Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 28,000 active duty Armed Forces (2025)
Military and Security: Military deployments
160 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2025)
Military and Security: Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the military's inventory consists largely of Soviet-era armaments, although in recent years Bulgaria has procured some more modern Western weapons systems in an effort to modernize and achieve NATO interoperability (2025)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2015
1.25% (2015 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2016
1.24% (2016 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2017
1.22% (2017 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2018
1.45% (2018 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2019
3.14% (2019 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2020
1.59% (2020 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2021
1.51% (2021 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2022
1.59% (2022 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2023
1.94% (2023 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024
2.15% (2024 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2025
2.1% of GDP (2025 est.)
Military and Security: Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women (2025)
People and Society: Age structure: 0-14 years
13.8% (male 479,586/female 453,423)
People and Society: Age structure: 15-64 years
65.2% (male 2,250,962/female 2,171,279)
People and Society: Age structure: 65 years and over
21% (2024 est.) (male 572,943/female 854,466)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: beer
4.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: other alcohols
0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: spirits
4.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: total
11.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: wine
1.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Birth rate
7.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Children under the age of 5 years underweight
1.6% (2014)
People and Society: Current health expenditure
7.92% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Currently married women (ages 15-49)
56.6% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Death rate
14.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: elderly dependency ratio
32.7 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: potential support ratio
3.1 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio
53.3 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: youth dependency ratio
20.7 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: rural
rural: 97.3% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: total
total: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: urban
urban: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: rural
rural: 2.7% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: total
total: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: urban
urban: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% national budget)
12% national budget (2022 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditures
4.50% (2022 est.)
People and Society: Ethnic groups
Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)
People and Society: Gross reproduction rate
0.74 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.6% of GDP (2021)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
11.6% of national budget (2022 est.)
People and Society: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.10% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Hospital bed density
8.2 beds/1,000 population (2023 est.)
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: female
6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: male
8.7 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: total
7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
People and Society: Languages: Languages
Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)
People and Society: Languages: major-language sample(s)
Светoвен Алманах, незаменимият източник за основна информация. (Bulgarian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: female
79.5 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: male
72.2 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: total population
98.35% (2011 est.)
People and Society: Major urban areas - population
1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)
People and Society: Maternal mortality ratio
6 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
People and Society: Median age: female
47 years
People and Society: Median age: male
43.3 years
People and Society: Mother's mean age at first birth
26.4 years (2020 est.)
People and Society: Nationality: adjective
Bulgarian
People and Society: Net migration rate
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25% (2016)
People and Society: Physician density
4.33 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
People and Society: Population
6,441,421 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations
People and Society: Population growth rate
-0.66% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Population: female
3,456,782
People and Society: Population: male
3,281,215
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): female
16 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): male
15 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total
15 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: Sex ratio: 0-14 years
1.06 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 15-64 years
1.04 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 65 years and over
0.67 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: total population
0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: female
30.3% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: male
36.2% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: total
33.1% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Total fertility rate
1.72 children born/woman (2024 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: urban population
73.95% (2024 est.)
Space: Key space-program milestones
1960s-1990s - participated in the Soviet Interkosmos program, which included the first Bulgarian in space (1979), first domestically produced scientific satellite launched on a Soviet rocket (1981), and participation in the Soviet VEGA project (1985) 2017 - first communications satellite (BulgariaSat-1) built and launched by US 2019 - first domestically built data/educational cube satellite (EnduroSat-1) launched by US 2023 - signed the US-led Artemis Accords outlining principles for cooperation in space exploration 2025 - domestically produced, multispectral remote sensing satellite (Balkan-1) launched by US as part of EU's Copernicus Earth observation program
Space: Space agency/agencies
Space Research and Technology Institute - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (SRTI-BAS; formed in 1987 but originated from the Central Laboratory for Space Research and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, which was established in 1969) (2025)
Space: Space program overview
has a long history of space-related activities going back to the 1960s; develops, produces, and operates satellites; researches, develops, and produces other space technologies, including those related to astrophysics, remote sensing, data exploitation, optics, and electronics; has specialized in producing scientific instruments for space research; has more than 20 research institutes; Cooperating State of the ESA since 2015; works with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of the ESA, EU, individual ESA and EU member states, India, Japan, Russia, and the US (2025)
Terrorism: Terrorist group(s)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force
Transnational Issues: Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees
114,728 (2024 est.)
Transnational Issues: Refugees and internally displaced persons: stateless persons
862 (2024 est.)
Transportation: Airports
107 (2025)
Transportation: Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
LZ
Transportation: Heliports
8 (2025)
Transportation: Merchant marine: by type
bulk carrier 2, general cargo 13, oil tanker 8, other 55
Transportation: Merchant marine: total
78 (2023)
Transportation: Ports: key ports
Burgas, Varna
Transportation: Ports: large
1
Transportation: Ports: medium
0
Transportation: Ports: ports with oil terminals
2
Transportation: Ports: small
1
Transportation: Ports: total ports
2 (2024)
Transportation: Ports: very small
0
Transportation: Railways: total
4,029 km (2020) 2,871 km electrified
Warning: Some information might be outdated or incorrect, please check statistics before using(most of the economical stats are correct, its mostly the Population stats that are incorrect). Some dates are listed but some are missed, if you have any issues please report it to the Github at github.com.