Bulgaria
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 244.5% GDP in 1996 — now 29.9%.
Government debt
29.9% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
39.2% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
3.5% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
14.6% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
627k
2024
Tax rates
What Bulgaria takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
22.4% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
10%
2024
Corporate tax rate
10%
2024
Standard VAT rate
20%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Bulgaria is 38.6% cheaper than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 61.4 | -38.6% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 88.8 | -11.2% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 38.1 | -61.9% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 53.2 | -46.8% |
| Transport | 72.0 | -28.0% |
| Health | 44.3 | -55.7% |
| Education | 51.6 | -48.4% |
| Clothing & footwear | 79.1 | -20.9% |
| Recreation & culture | 68.2 | -31.8% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 69.0 | -31.0% |
| Household furnishings | 75.0 | -25.0% |
| Communication | 82.8 | -17.2% |
| Miscellaneous | 59.2 | -40.8% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15.2 | — |
| 2012 | 16.6 | +1.4 |
| 2013 | 17 | +0.4 |
| 2014 | 27 | +10 |
| 2015 | 25.9 | -1.1 |
| 2016 | 29.1 | +3.2 |
| 2017 | 25.1 | -4 |
| 2018 | 22.2 | -2.9 |
| 2019 | 20.1 | -2.1 |
| 2020 | 24.5 | +4.4 |
| 2021 | 23.8 | -0.7 |
| 2022 | 22.5 | -1.3 |
| 2023 | 22.9 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | 23.8 | +0.9 |
| 2025 | 29.9 | +6.1 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |