Rule of Law Index in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Rule of Law Index was 6.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rule of Law Index in Bulgaria, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, rule of law index in Bulgaria stood at 6.5. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Bulgaria peaked at 8.5 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 6.5, in 2023.
That places Bulgaria 24th out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.75 | — |
| 2007 | 8.5 | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 8.25 | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 8.5 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 7.75 | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 7.75 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7.5 | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 6.75 | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 6.5 | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 6.5 | +0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 6.5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 7, 93% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 6.5 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.17 | 7.75 | 8.5 | 3 |
| 2010s | 7.9 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.58 | 6.5 | 6.75 | 3 |
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 rule of law index in Bulgaria?
- Rule of law index in Bulgaria was 6.5 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5 in 2007.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5 in 2023.
- How does Bulgaria rank for rule of law index?
- Bulgaria ranks 24th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which political power is separated, the judiciary is independent, office abuse is prosecuted, and civil rights are enforced.