Democracy in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Democracy was 4 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 175 countries
All-time high
5
in 1990
All-time low
0
in 1934
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Democracy in Bulgaria, 1900–2025
Source: Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in Bulgaria is 4, measured in 2025.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Bulgaria peaked at 5 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1934.
Bulgaria ranks 17th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1 | — |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 1 | — |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5 | +400.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 4 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.3 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 17 Australia 4 compare
- 17 Austria 4 compare
- 17 Barbados 4 compare
- 17 Belgium 4 compare
- 17 Bhutan 4 compare
- 17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 compare
- 17 Canada 4 compare
- 17 Cape Verde 4 compare
- 17 Chile 4 compare
- 17 Colombia 4 compare
- 17 Costa Rica 4 compare
- 17 Cyprus 4 compare
- 17 Czechia 4 compare
- 17 Denmark 4 compare
- 17 Ecuador 4 compare
- 17 Estonia 4 compare
- 17 Finland 4 compare
- 17 France 4 compare
- 17 Germany 4 compare
- 17 Ghana 4 compare
- 17 Iceland 4 compare
- 17 Ireland 4 compare
- 17 Israel 4 compare
- 17 Jamaica 4 compare
- 17 Japan 4 compare
- 17 Kenya 4 compare
- 17 Latvia 4 compare
- 17 Liberia 4 compare
- 17 Lithuania 4 compare
- 17 Luxembourg 4 compare
- 17 Malawi 4 compare
- 17 Malta 4 compare
- 17 Namibia 4 compare
- 17 Netherlands 4 compare
- 17 New Zealand 4 compare
- 17 North Macedonia 4 compare
- 17 Norway 4 compare
- 17 Panama 4 compare
- 17 Paraguay 4 compare
- 17 Portugal 4 compare
- 17 Sao Tome and Principe 4 compare
- 17 South Africa 4 compare
- 17 South Korea 4 compare
- 17 Spain 4 compare
- 17 Suriname 4 compare
- 17 Sweden 4 compare
- 17 Switzerland 4 compare
- 17 Taiwan 4 compare
- 17 Trinidad and Tobago 4 compare
- 17 Uruguay 4 compare
- 17 Vanuatu 4 compare
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 democracy in Bulgaria?
- Democracy in Bulgaria was 4 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1990.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1934.
- How does Bulgaria rank for democracy?
- Bulgaria ranks 17th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Political regime of a country using the classification by the Episodes of Regime Transformation-project. It distinguishes between hardening autocracies (score 0), stable autocracies (score 1), liberalizing autocracies (score 2), eroding democracies (score 3), stable democracies (score 4), and deepening democracies (score 5).