Aid, poverty & equality · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Bulgaria: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 1.0% (2023), 89th of 151 in the world and 10th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $4.20/day is 1.6% (2023), 98th of 151 in the world and 12th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $8.30/day is 4.4% (2023), 111th of 151 in the world and 17th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia.
Extreme poverty
BulgariaEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
BulgariaEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
11 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Bulgaria in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.0%2023 | 89/151 | 10/47 | 4.7%2001 | 2.7% | 0.7% | −2.3 ppsince 2013 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.6%2023 | 98/151 | 12/47 | 9.1%2001 | 4.9% | 1.5% | −3.9 ppsince 2013 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 4.4%2023 | 111/151 | 17/47 | 35.8%2001 | 15.9% | 5.8% | −10.8 ppsince 2013 | 4.8% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 21.2%2024 | 73/145 | 8/47 | · | · | 22.1% | — | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 39.52023 | 41/151 | 2/47 | 32.72001 | 35.7 | 40.5 | +7.9%since 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 31.1%2023 | 34/151 | 2/47 | 24.9%2001 | 26.9% | 32.6% | +3.5 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 6.0%2023 | 108/151 | 44/47 | 7.1%2001 | 6.3% | 6.1% | +0.3 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 113/167 | 12/47 | 4.9%2001 | 4.6% | 2.6% | −0.8 ppsince 2014 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 10.5%2024 | 109/155 | 13/45 | · | · | 15.5% | — | 10.4% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 84.7%2024 | 52/145 | 30/46 | · | 52.8%2011 | 84.0%2021 | +21.7 ppsince 2014 | 89.6% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 25.0%2025 | 100/190 | 40/52 | 10.8% | 20.8% | 26.7% | +4.6 ppsince 2015 | 31.7% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty−2.3 pp1.0% in 2023
- Poverty, $4.20/day−3.9 pp1.6% in 2023
- Poverty, $8.30/day−10.8 pp4.4% in 2023
- Bottom 20% income share+0.3 pp6.0% in 2023
Worse than ten years ago
- Gini index+7.9%39.5 in 2023
- Top 10% income share+3.5 pp31.1% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Bulgaria and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Bulgaria. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Bulgaria | Türkiye | Romania | Greece | Serbia | North Macedonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 1.0%2023 | 0.2%2023 | 0.7%2023 | 0.6%2023 | 1.1%2023 | 3.9%2019 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 1.6%2023 | 0.4%2023 | 1.3%2023 | 0.8%2023 | 2.1%2023 | 7.4%2019 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 4.4%2023 | 4.1%2023 | 5.1%2023 | 3.2%2023 | 9.0%2023 | 20.5%2019 |
| National poverty rate | 21.2%2024 | 13.0%2024 | 18.4%2024 | 18.8%2021 | 19.7%2023 | 21.9%2023 |
| Gini index | 39.52023 | 43.72023 | 29.82023 | 33.42023 | 32.82023 | 33.52019 |
| Top 10% income share | 31.1%2023 | 34.4%2023 | 21.8%2023 | 26.0%2023 | 24.7%2023 | 22.9%2019 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 6.0%2023 | 5.5%2023 | 7.0%2023 | 7.2%2023 | 6.9%2023 | 5.8%2019 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 10.5%2024 | — | 15.2%2024 | 7.1%2024 | 6.7%2024 | 9.2%2024 |