Statizoid

Clientelism Index in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Clientelism Index was 0.618 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.618
Change on year
up 6.2%
World rank
59th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.747
in 1924
All-time low
0.093
in 1982
Years of data
148
1878–2025

Clientelism Index in Bulgaria, 1878–2025

00.20.40.60.8187819512025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 0.618 for clientelism index in 2025.

The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Bulgaria peaked at 0.747 in 1924 and was at its lowest, 0.093, in 1982.

Bulgaria ranks 59th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Clientelism Index in Bulgaria, year by year

Year Value Change
1878 0.123 —
1879 0.214 +74.0%
1880 0.288 +34.6%
1881 0.347 +20.5%
1882 0.398 +14.7%
1883 0.438 +10.1%
1884 0.702 +60.3%
1885 0.682 -2.8%
1886 0.681 -0.1%
1887 0.68 -0.1%
1888 0.684 +0.6%
1889 0.684 +0.0%
1890 0.685 +0.1%
1891 0.69 +0.7%
1892 0.69 +0.0%
1893 0.677 -1.9%
1894 0.671 -0.9%
1895 0.668 -0.4%
1896 0.661 -1.0%
1897 0.614 -7.1%
1898 0.614 +0.0%
1899 0.658 +7.2%
1900 0.678 +3.0%
1901 0.676 -0.3%
1902 0.668 -1.2%
1903 0.697 +4.3%
1904 0.724 +3.9%
1905 0.724 +0.0%
1906 0.724 +0.0%
1907 0.724 +0.0%
1908 0.669 -7.6%
1909 0.651 -2.7%
1910 0.651 +0.0%
1911 0.65 -0.2%
1912 0.692 +6.5%
1913 0.695 +0.4%
1914 0.72 +3.6%
1915 0.72 +0.0%
1916 0.72 +0.0%
1917 0.72 +0.0%
1918 0.72 +0.0%
1919 0.704 -2.2%
1920 0.699 -0.7%
1921 0.699 +0.0%
1922 0.699 +0.0%
1923 0.71 +1.6%
1924 0.747 +5.2%
1925 0.747 +0.0%
1926 0.747 +0.0%
1927 0.703 -5.9%
1928 0.673 -4.3%
1929 0.673 +0.0%
1930 0.673 +0.0%
1931 0.654 -2.8%
1932 0.635 -2.9%
1933 0.635 +0.0%
1934 0.606 -4.6%
1935 0.48 -20.8%
1936 0.48 +0.0%
1937 0.48 +0.0%
1938 0.566 +17.9%
1939 0.585 +3.4%
1940 0.594 +1.5%
1941 0.594 +0.0%
1942 0.594 +0.0%
1943 0.594 +0.0%
1944 0.58 -2.4%
1945 0.36 -37.9%
1946 0.256 -28.9%
1947 0.27 +5.5%
1948 0.27 +0.0%
1949 0.269 -0.4%
1950 0.231 -14.1%
1951 0.231 +0.0%
1952 0.231 +0.0%
1953 0.227 -1.7%
1954 0.098 -56.8%
1955 0.098 +0.0%
1956 0.098 +0.0%
1957 0.102 +4.1%
1958 0.229 +124.5%
1959 0.229 +0.0%
1960 0.229 +0.0%
1961 0.229 +0.0%
1962 0.117 -48.9%
1963 0.097 -17.1%
1964 0.097 +0.0%
1965 0.097 +0.0%
1966 0.095 -2.1%
1967 0.095 +0.0%
1968 0.095 +0.0%
1969 0.095 +0.0%
1970 0.095 +0.0%
1971 0.097 +2.1%
1972 0.098 +1.0%
1973 0.098 +0.0%
1974 0.098 +0.0%
1975 0.098 +0.0%
1976 0.097 -1.0%
1977 0.096 -1.0%
1978 0.096 +0.0%
1979 0.096 +0.0%
1980 0.096 +0.0%
1981 0.095 -1.0%
1982 0.093 -2.1%
1983 0.093 +0.0%
1984 0.093 +0.0%
1985 0.093 +0.0%
1986 0.094 +1.1%
1987 0.094 +0.0%
1988 0.094 +0.0%
1989 0.094 +0.0%
1990 0.268 +185.1%
1991 0.361 +34.7%
1992 0.363 +0.6%
1993 0.363 +0.0%
1994 0.363 +0.0%
1995 0.378 +4.1%
1996 0.376 -0.5%
1997 0.369 -1.9%
1998 0.369 +0.0%
1999 0.369 +0.0%
2000 0.369 +0.0%
2001 0.404 +9.5%
2002 0.414 +2.5%
2003 0.414 +0.0%
2004 0.414 +0.0%
2005 0.421 +1.7%
2006 0.43 +2.1%
2007 0.437 +1.6%
2008 0.437 +0.0%
2009 0.441 +0.9%
2010 0.46 +4.3%
2011 0.457 -0.7%
2012 0.431 -5.7%
2013 0.468 +8.6%
2014 0.473 +1.1%
2015 0.467 -1.3%
2016 0.453 -3.0%
2017 0.48 +6.0%
2018 0.498 +3.8%
2019 0.518 +4.0%
2020 0.535 +3.3%
2021 0.494 -7.7%
2022 0.397 -19.6%
2023 0.51 +28.5%
2024 0.582 +14.1%
2025 0.618 +6.2%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 0.618 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 4.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 0.618 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.182, 3.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Clientelism Index in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1990 +185.1% 0.094 0.268
1958 +124.5% 0.102 0.229
1879 +74.0% 0.123 0.214
1884 +60.3% 0.438 0.702
1954 -56.8% 0.227 0.098
1962 -48.9% 0.229 0.117

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 0.1685 0.123 0.214 2
1880s 0.5584 0.288 0.702 10
1890s 0.6628 0.614 0.69 10
1900s 0.6935 0.651 0.724 10
1910s 0.6992 0.65 0.72 10
1920s 0.7097 0.673 0.747 10
1930s 0.5794 0.48 0.673 10
1940s 0.4381 0.256 0.594 10
1950s 0.1774 0.098 0.231 10
1960s 0.1246 0.095 0.229 10
1970s 0.0969 0.095 0.098 10
1980s 0.0939 0.093 0.096 10
1990s 0.3579 0.268 0.378 10
2000s 0.4181 0.369 0.441 10
2010s 0.4705 0.431 0.518 10
2020s 0.5227 0.397 0.618 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 56 Ghana 0.629 compare
  2. 57 Mongolia 0.621 compare
  3. 58 North Macedonia 0.619 compare
  4. 60 Egypt 0.6 compare
  5. 61 Sudan 0.598 compare
  6. 62 Colombia 0.596 compare
  7. 62 Kuwait 0.596 compare
  8. 62 Panama 0.596 compare
  9. 62 Peru 0.596 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Bulgaria?
Clientelism index in Bulgaria was 0.618 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 0.747 in 1924.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.093 in 1982.
How does Bulgaria rank for clientelism index?
Bulgaria ranks 59th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 148 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Clientelism Index in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Clientelism Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 24,366 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.