Bulgaria

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 2,115,053 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)

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 broadcasting, especially in urban areas

Internet country code

.bg

Internet users

total: 5.175 million (2021 est.) percent of population: 75% (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Bulgaria s telecom market was for some years affected by the difficult macroeconomic climate, as well as by relatively high unemployment and a shrinking population; these factors continue to slow investments in the sector, though revenue growth has returned since 2019; there still remains pressure on revenue growth, with consumers migrating from fixed-line voice telephony to mobile and VoIP alternatives, while the volume of SMS and MMS traffic has been affected by the growing use of alternative OTT messaging services; investing in network upgrades and its development of services based on 5G have stimulated other market players to invest in their own service provision; by the end of 2022 about 70% of the population is expected to be covered by 5G; the broadband market in Bulgaria enjoys excellent cross-platform competition; the share of the market held by DSL has fallen steadily as a result of customers being migrated to fiber networks; by early 2021 about 65% of fixed-line broadband subscribers were on fiber infrastructure; Bulgaria joins the U.S. State Department s Clean Network initiative in a bid to protect its 5G communications networks (2022) domestic: fixed-line over 11 per 100 persons, mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple service providers, is over 115 telephones per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 359; Caucasus Cable System via submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine, Georgia and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 691,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 7.964 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 117 (2022 est.)

Agricultural products

wheat, maize, sunflower seeds, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, grapes, tomatoes, chicken (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Average household expenditures

on food: 19.1% of household expenditures (2022 est.) on alcohol and tobacco: 5.3% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

Budget

revenues: $33.1 billion (2022 est.) expenditures: $35.619 billion (2022 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Credit ratings

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.

Current account balance

-$248.13 million (2023 est.) -$591.65 million (2022 est.) -$1.516 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

$14.277 billion (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

upper-middle-income EU economy; currency pegged to the euro with accession pending; joined Schengen area as of March 2024; global events and internal political turmoil triggered export slump and stalled reforms; EU structural funds contributing to investment recovery; skilled labor shortage driven by emigration and aging population

Exchange rates

leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.809 (2023 est.) 1.86 (2022 est.) 1.654 (2021 est.) 1.716 (2020 est.) 1.747 (2019 est.)

Exports

$62.118 billion (2023 est.) $60.712 billion (2022 est.) $51.49 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, natural gas, garments, wheat, refined copper (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

Germany 13%, Romania 13%, Italy 7%, Turkey 6%, Greece 6% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$101.584 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 59.8% (2023 est.) government consumption: 18.2% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 17.3% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: 1.5% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 60.9% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -57.7% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 3% (2023 est.) industry: 25.4% (2023 est.) services: 59.3% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

39 (2021 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% (2021 est.) highest 10%: 29.9% (2021 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports

$58.79 billion (2023 est.) $60.252 billion (2022 est.) $50.048 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, natural gas, copper ore, cars, packaged medicine (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

Germany 10%, Russia 10%, Turkey 9%, Romania 7%, Greece 6% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

0.91% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.44% (2023 est.) 15.33% (2022 est.) 3.3% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

3.103 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Population below poverty line

20.6% (2022 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt

30.3% of GDP (2022 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$214.061 billion (2023 est.) $210.181 billion (2022 est.) $202.24 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

1.85% (2023 est.) 3.93% (2022 est.) 7.66% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$33,300 (2023 est.) $32,500 (2022 est.) $29,400 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Remittances

2.44% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.25% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.35% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$46.334 billion (2023 est.) $40.989 billion (2022 est.) $39.188 billion (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Taxes and other revenues

21.8% (of GDP) (2022 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Unemployment rate

4.3% (2023 est.) 4.27% (2022 est.) 5.27% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 12% (2023 est.) male: 11.8% (2023 est.) female: 12.2% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Carbon dioxide emissions

43.234 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 24.654 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 13.185 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from consumed natural gas: 5.395 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Coal

production: 35.516 million metric tons (2022 est.) consumption: 35.97 million metric tons (2022 est.) exports: 504,000 metric tons (2022 est.) imports: 928,000 metric tons (2022 est.) proven reserves: 2.366 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 12.031 million kW (2022 est.) consumption: 35.369 billion kWh (2022 est.) exports: 13.665 billion kWh (2022 est.) imports: 1.47 billion kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 2.616 billion kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 100% electrification - rural areas: 99.6%

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 48.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) nuclear: 32.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) solar: 4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) wind: 3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) hydroelectricity: 7.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) biomass and waste: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

107.943 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

Natural gas

production: 20.837 million cubic meters (2022 est.) consumption: 2.801 billion cubic meters (2022 est.) exports: 2.75 million cubic meters (2020 est.) imports: 2.911 billion cubic meters (2022 est.) proven reserves: 5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Nuclear energy

Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2023) Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 2.01GW (2023 est.) Percent of total electricity production: 40.3% (2023 est.) Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 4 (2023)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 101,000 bbl/day (2022 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 15 million barrels (2021 est.)

Air pollutants

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.)

Climate

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Land use

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.)

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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Revenue from coal

0.14% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.22% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

21.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 840 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 3.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 760 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 76.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

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.)

Area

total : 110,879 sq km land: 108,489 sq km water: 2,390 sq km

Area - comparative

almost identical in size to Virginia; slightly larger than Tennessee

Climate

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline

354 km

Elevation

highest point: Musala 2,925 m lowest point: Black Sea 0 m mean elevation: 472 m

Geographic coordinates

43 00 N, 25 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Irrigated land

987 sq km (2013)

Land boundaries

total: 1,806 km border countries (5): Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km

Land use

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.)

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

earthquakes; landslides

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Population distribution

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations

Terrain

mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

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

Capital

name: Sofia geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: named after the Saint Sofia Church in the city, parts of which date back to the 4th century A.D.

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bulgaria dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Constitution

history: several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 13 July 1991 amendments: 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; amended several times, last in 2023

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria local long form: Republika Bulgaria local short form: Bulgaria former: Kingdom of Bulgaria, People's Republic of Bulgaria etymology: named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth MERTEN (since 7 April 2023) embassy: 16, Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408 mailing address: 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5209 email address and website: acs_sofia@state.gov https://bg.usembassy.gov/

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Georgi Velikov PANAYOTOV (since 7 June 2022) chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387 5770 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 email address and website: office@bulgaria-embassy.org https://www.bulgaria-embassy.org/en/homepage/ consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017) head of government: Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar GLAVCHEV (since 9 April 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly elections/appointments: 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); election last held on 14 and 21 November 2021 (next to be held in fall 2026); 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 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%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

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 (organized into 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the judiciary 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 subordinate courts: appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial

Legal system

civil law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list, proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 2 April 2023 (snap election to be held on 9 June 2024) election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - GERB-SDS 25.4%, PP-DB 23.5%, Revival 13.6%, DPS 13.2%, BSP for Bulgaria 8.6%, ITN 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party/coalition GERB-SDS 69, PP-DB 64, Revival 37, DPS 36, BSP for Bulgaria 23, ITN 11; composition - men 179, women 61, percentage women 25.4%

National anthem

name: "Mila Rodino" (Dear Homeland) lyrics/music: Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 10 (7 cultural, 3 natural) 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)

National holiday

Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

National symbol(s)

lion; national colors: white, green, red

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)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 - 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 (2024)

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), General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC), Fire Safety and Civil Protection General Directorate, Special Unit for Combating Terrorism (SOBT) (2024) note: the GDMP includes the Gendarmerie, a special police force with military status deployed to secure important facilities, buildings and infrastructure, to respond to riots, and to counter militant threats

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 27,000 active-duty personnel (17,000 Army; 3,000 Navy; 7,000 Air Force) (2024) note: in 2021, Bulgaria released a 10-year defense plan which called for an active military strength of 43,000

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory consists mostly of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years Bulgaria has procured limited amounts of more modern Western weapons systems (2023)

Military expenditures

2.2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2023) 1.6% of GDP (2022) 1.6% of GDP (2021) 1.6% of GDP (2020)

Military service age and obligation

18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in 2007; service obligation 6-9 months (2023) note 1: in 2021, women comprised about 17% of the Bulgarian military's full-time personnel note 2: in 2020, Bulgaria announced a program to allow every citizen up to the age of 40 to join the armed forces for 6 months of military service in the voluntary reserve

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 479,586/female 453,423) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,250,962/female 2,171,279) 65 years and over: 21% (2024 est.) (male 572,943/female 854,466)

Alcohol consumption per capita

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.)

Birth rate

7.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.9% (2014)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

8.5% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

57.3% (2023 est.)

Death rate

14.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 57.3 youth dependency ratio: 22 elderly dependency ratio: 35.3 potential support ratio: 2.8 (2021 est.)

Drinking water source

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.)

Education expenditures

4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

0.73 (2024 est.)

Hospital bed density

7.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 8.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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.

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.1 years (2024 est.) male: 72.9 years female: 79.4 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 98.7% female: 98.2% (2021)

Major urban areas - population

1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 45.1 years (2024 est.) male: 43.3 years female: 47 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

26.4 years (2020 est.)

Nationality

noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian

Net migration rate

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

25% (2016)

Physician density

4.2 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

total: 6,782,659 male: 3,303,491 female: 3,479,168 (2024 est.)

Population distribution

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations

Population growth rate

-0.66% (2024 est.)

Religions

Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)

Sanitation facility access

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.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2020)

Sex ratio

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 (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 39% (2020 est.) male: 40.9% (2020 est.) female: 37.1% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.51 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 76.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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) (2024)

Space program overview

has a long history of involvement in space-related activities going back to the 1960s; develops, produces, and operates satellites, mostly with foreign partners; 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 European Space Agency (ESA) since 2015; cooperates with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of the ESA and EU (and bi-laterally with their member states), India, Japan, Russia, and the US (2024) note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

Illicit drugs

source country for amphetamine tablets

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 22,226 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 72,775 (Ukraine) (as of 8 March 2024) stateless persons: 1,129 (2022) note: 106,227 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-January 2024); Bulgaria is predominantly a transit country

Airports

111 (2024)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

LZ

Heliports

8 (2024)

Merchant marine

total: 78 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 2, general cargo 13, oil tanker 8, other 55

National air transport system

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

Pipelines

2,765 km gas, 346 km oil, 378 km refined products (2017)

Ports

total ports: 2 (2024) large: 1 medium: 0 small: 1 very small: 0 ports with oil terminals: 2 key ports: Burgas, Varna

Railways

total: 4,029 km (2020) 2,871 km electrified

Roadways

total: 19,117 km (2022) note: does not include Category IV local roads

Waterways

470 km (2009)