Free and Fair Elections Index in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.64 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.64
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
76th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.812
in 2016
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Free and Fair Elections Index in Bulgaria, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for free and fair elections index in Bulgaria is 0.64, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Bulgaria peaked at 0.812 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
Bulgaria ranks 76th 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.
Free and Fair Elections Index in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0 | — |
| 1790 | 0 | — |
| 1791 | 0 | — |
| 1792 | 0 | — |
| 1793 | 0 | — |
| 1794 | 0 | — |
| 1795 | 0 | — |
| 1796 | 0 | — |
| 1797 | 0 | — |
| 1798 | 0 | — |
| 1799 | 0 | — |
| 1800 | 0 | — |
| 1801 | 0 | — |
| 1802 | 0 | — |
| 1803 | 0 | — |
| 1804 | 0 | — |
| 1805 | 0 | — |
| 1806 | 0 | — |
| 1807 | 0 | — |
| 1808 | 0 | — |
| 1809 | 0 | — |
| 1810 | 0 | — |
| 1811 | 0 | — |
| 1812 | 0 | — |
| 1813 | 0 | — |
| 1814 | 0 | — |
| 1815 | 0 | — |
| 1816 | 0 | — |
| 1817 | 0 | — |
| 1818 | 0 | — |
| 1819 | 0 | — |
| 1820 | 0 | — |
| 1821 | 0 | — |
| 1822 | 0 | — |
| 1823 | 0 | — |
| 1824 | 0 | — |
| 1825 | 0 | — |
| 1826 | 0 | — |
| 1827 | 0 | — |
| 1828 | 0 | — |
| 1829 | 0 | — |
| 1830 | 0 | — |
| 1831 | 0 | — |
| 1832 | 0 | — |
| 1833 | 0 | — |
| 1834 | 0 | — |
| 1835 | 0 | — |
| 1836 | 0 | — |
| 1837 | 0 | — |
| 1838 | 0 | — |
| 1839 | 0 | — |
| 1840 | 0 | — |
| 1841 | 0 | — |
| 1842 | 0 | — |
| 1843 | 0 | — |
| 1844 | 0 | — |
| 1845 | 0 | — |
| 1846 | 0 | — |
| 1847 | 0 | — |
| 1848 | 0 | — |
| 1849 | 0 | — |
| 1850 | 0 | — |
| 1851 | 0 | — |
| 1852 | 0 | — |
| 1853 | 0 | — |
| 1854 | 0 | — |
| 1855 | 0 | — |
| 1856 | 0 | — |
| 1857 | 0 | — |
| 1858 | 0 | — |
| 1859 | 0 | — |
| 1860 | 0 | — |
| 1861 | 0 | — |
| 1862 | 0 | — |
| 1863 | 0 | — |
| 1864 | 0 | — |
| 1865 | 0 | — |
| 1866 | 0 | — |
| 1867 | 0 | — |
| 1868 | 0 | — |
| 1869 | 0 | — |
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1871 | 0 | — |
| 1872 | 0 | — |
| 1873 | 0 | — |
| 1874 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1876 | 0 | — |
| 1877 | 0 | — |
| 1878 | 0 | — |
| 1879 | 0.54 | — |
| 1880 | 0.455 | -15.7% |
| 1881 | 0.218 | -52.1% |
| 1882 | 0.008 | -96.3% |
| 1883 | 0.067 | +737.5% |
| 1884 | 0.163 | +143.3% |
| 1885 | 0.205 | +25.8% |
| 1886 | 0.206 | +0.5% |
| 1887 | 0.132 | -35.9% |
| 1888 | 0.08 | -39.4% |
| 1889 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.076 | -5.0% |
| 1891 | 0.058 | -23.7% |
| 1892 | 0.058 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.068 | +17.2% |
| 1894 | 0.097 | +42.6% |
| 1895 | 0.217 | +123.7% |
| 1896 | 0.218 | +0.5% |
| 1897 | 0.226 | +3.7% |
| 1898 | 0.226 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.142 | -37.2% |
| 1900 | 0.104 | -26.8% |
| 1901 | 0.233 | +124.0% |
| 1902 | 0.25 | +7.3% |
| 1903 | 0.238 | -4.8% |
| 1904 | 0.191 | -19.7% |
| 1905 | 0.191 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.191 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.191 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.266 | +39.3% |
| 1909 | 0.311 | +16.9% |
| 1910 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.305 | -1.9% |
| 1912 | 0.301 | -1.3% |
| 1913 | 0.283 | -6.0% |
| 1914 | 0.196 | -30.7% |
| 1915 | 0.199 | +1.5% |
| 1916 | 0.199 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.199 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.199 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.243 | +22.1% |
| 1920 | 0.269 | +10.7% |
| 1921 | 0.25 | -7.1% |
| 1922 | 0.25 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.128 | -48.8% |
| 1924 | 0.209 | +63.3% |
| 1925 | 0.209 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.209 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.229 | +9.6% |
| 1928 | 0.243 | +6.1% |
| 1929 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.237 | -2.5% |
| 1932 | 0.236 | -0.4% |
| 1933 | 0.236 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.083 | -64.8% |
| 1935 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0.16 | — |
| 1939 | 0.068 | -57.5% |
| 1940 | 0.188 | +176.5% |
| 1941 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.121 | -35.6% |
| 1945 | 0.024 | -80.2% |
| 1946 | 0.204 | +750.0% |
| 1947 | 0.194 | -4.9% |
| 1948 | 0.194 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.233 | +20.1% |
| 1950 | 0.223 | -4.3% |
| 1951 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.245 | +9.9% |
| 1954 | 0.295 | +20.4% |
| 1955 | 0.295 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.295 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.319 | +8.1% |
| 1958 | 0.282 | -11.6% |
| 1959 | 0.282 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.282 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.282 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.305 | +8.2% |
| 1963 | 0.309 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 0.309 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.309 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.311 | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.307 | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 0.303 | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 0.303 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.303 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.303 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.299 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 0.296 | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 0.296 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.296 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.296 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.302 | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 0.306 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 0.306 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.306 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.306 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.305 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 0.304 | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.304 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.304 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.515 | +69.4% |
| 1991 | 0.609 | +18.3% |
| 1992 | 0.734 | +20.5% |
| 1993 | 0.736 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 0.736 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.743 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.752 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.786 | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 0.784 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.784 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.784 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.795 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.793 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.793 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.786 | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.784 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.796 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.796 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.765 | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 0.739 | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 0.743 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.732 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.762 | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 0.79 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 0.81 | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 0.812 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.755 | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 0.736 | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.736 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.738 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.761 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 0.772 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 0.761 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 0.691 | -9.2% |
| 2025 | 0.64 | -7.4% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 0.64 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.929, 69% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 0.64 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8955, 71% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | +750.0% | 0.024 | 0.204 |
| 1883 | +737.5% | 0.008 | 0.067 |
| 1940 | +176.5% | 0.068 | 0.188 |
| 1884 | +143.3% | 0.067 | 0.163 |
| 1901 | +124.0% | 0.104 | 0.233 |
| 1895 | +123.7% | 0.097 | 0.217 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.054 | 0 | 0.54 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.1614 | 0.008 | 0.455 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1386 | 0.058 | 0.226 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.2166 | 0.104 | 0.311 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2435 | 0.196 | 0.311 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.2239 | 0.128 | 0.269 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1263 | 0 | 0.243 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1722 | 0.024 | 0.233 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2682 | 0.223 | 0.319 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.304 | 0.282 | 0.311 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3017 | 0.296 | 0.311 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3039 | 0.296 | 0.306 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7179 | 0.515 | 0.786 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7885 | 0.765 | 0.796 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7615 | 0.732 | 0.812 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7272 | 0.64 | 0.772 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is free and fair elections index in Bulgaria?
- Free and fair elections index in Bulgaria was 0.64 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.812 in 2016.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does Bulgaria rank for free and fair elections index?
- Bulgaria ranks 76th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. 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 Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.