Unemployment rate,Percent in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Unemployment rate,Percent was 5.2% in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
5.2%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
36th
of 71 countries
All-time high
18.1%
in 2000
All-time low
4.5%
in 2022
Years of data
35
1992–2026
Unemployment rate,Percent in Bulgaria, 1992–2026
Source: World Bank.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 5.2% for unemployment rate,percent in 2026.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in Bulgaria peaked at 18.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2022.
That places Bulgaria 36th out of 71 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate,Percent in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 13.2% | — |
| 1993 | 15.9% | +19.8% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | -11.3% |
| 1995 | 11.4% | -19.1% |
| 1996 | 11.1% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 14.0% | +27.0% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -13.1% |
| 1999 | 13.8% | +12.9% |
| 2000 | 18.1% | +31.5% |
| 2001 | 17.5% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 17.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | -18.2% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 11.5% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -16.1% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | -19.4% |
| 2008 | 6.3% | -18.5% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | +20.3% |
| 2010 | 9.5% | +24.9% |
| 2011 | 9.6% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 11.1% | +15.6% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 10.1% | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | -13.6% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | -17.1% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | -14.2% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | +30.2% |
| 2021 | 5.5% | -25.0% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -18.6% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | +17.4% |
| 2024 | 5.4% | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | -3.2% |
| 2026 | 5.2% | -0.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 5.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.2%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.2% | 11.1% | 15.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 6.3% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 5.7% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.5% | 7.4% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 33 Poland 5.9% compare
- 34 Peru 5.4% compare
- 35 New Zealand 5.3% compare
- 37 Philippines 5.2% compare
- 38 Dominican Republic 5.1% compare
- 39 Ireland 5.0% 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 unemployment rate,percent in Bulgaria?
- Unemployment rate,percent in Bulgaria was 5.2% in 2026, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2022.
- How does Bulgaria rank for unemployment rate,percent?
- Bulgaria ranks 36th out of 71 countries with data for 2026.
- Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).