Bulgaria's economy in data
Are we catching up with the EU?
Convergence with the EU is not measured by a single number. The gap is closing at different speeds for GDP per capita, material living standards, productivity, employment and the price level, so we look at each one separately.
Loading charts…
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 68.0 | 2025 |
| GDP per capita in PPS: EU27 | 100.0 | 2025 |
Purchasing power standards allow a comparison after accounting for differences in price levels between countries. The latest year is a preliminary estimate; Eurostat also revises earlier years.
Source: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 68.0 | 2025 |
Share of the gap closed = (value in the latest year − value in 2007) ÷ (100 − value in 2007). Distance travelled, not a forecast.
Source: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 68.0 | 2025 |
| AIC per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 77.0 | 2025 |
AIC covers the goods and services households actually consume, including individual services provided or paid for by the state, such as health care and education. The two measures answer different questions.
Source: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Labour productivity per hour worked: Bulgaria | 59.0 | 2025 |
| Labour productivity per hour worked: EU27 | 100.0 | 2025 |
Eurostat publishes productivity as an index relative to the EU27; it is not the ratio of two national indices.
Source: Eurostat: nama_10_lp_ulc
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Employment rate (20–64): Bulgaria | 77.0% | 2025 |
| Employment rate (20–64): EU27 | 76.1% | 2025 |
The rate shows the share of people aged 20–64 who are employed, from the labour force survey. The series on the site starts in 2009.
Source: Eurostat: lfsi_emp_a
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Price level: Bulgaria | 60.0 | 2025 |
| Price level: EU27 | 100.0 | 2025 |
100 is the EU average price level. The distance from 100 is a description, not a target.
Source: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Price level: Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 92.6 | 2025 |
| Price level: Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 69.9 | 2025 |
| Price level: Clothing and footwear | 78.0 | 2025 |
| Price level: Housing, water, electricity and fuels | 40.6 | 2025 |
| Price level: Furnishings and household maintenance | 77.9 | 2025 |
| Price level: Health | 46.6 | 2025 |
| Price level: Transport | 69.7 | 2025 |
| Price level: Information and communication | 100.9 | 2025 |
| Price level: Recreation, sport and culture | 66.0 | 2025 |
| Price level: Education services | 62.6 | 2025 |
| Price level: Restaurants and accommodation services | 55.7 | 2025 |
| Price level: Miscellaneous goods and services | 62.2 | 2025 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 88.8 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 69.0 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Clothing and footwear | 79.1 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Housing, water, electricity and fuels | 38.1 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Furnishings and household maintenance | 75.0 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Health | 44.3 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Transport | 72.0 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Information and communication | 82.8 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Recreation, sport and culture | 68.2 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Education services | 51.6 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Restaurants and accommodation services | 53.2 | 2024 |
| Price level (COICOP 1999): Miscellaneous goods and services | 59.2 | 2024 |
The line at 100 is the EU average. The COICOP 2018 categories are published from 2022; the comparison with 2007 uses the old COICOP 1999 classification.
Sources: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1, prc_ppp_ind
| Indicator | Latest value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 68.0 | 2025 |
| AIC per capita in PPS: Bulgaria | 77.0 | 2025 |
| Labour productivity per hour worked: Bulgaria | 59.0 | 2025 |
| Price level: Bulgaria | 60.0 | 2025 |
| Employment rate (20–64): Bulgaria | 77.0% | 2025 |
| Employment rate (20–64): EU27 | 76.1% | 2025 |
Sources: Eurostat: prc_ppp_ind_1, nama_10_lp_ulc, lfsi_emp_a