Employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 4.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria is 4.9%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria peaked at 5.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 42nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.7% | — |
| 1992 | 5.7% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 5.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.8% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 5.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 5.9% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 5.7% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 4.9% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 4.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 4.9% | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 4.6% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.4% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.2% | 4.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More work & labour data for Bulgaria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7248 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7441 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.5 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.5166 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,606 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 817.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,761 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,770 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,531 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria was 4.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Bulgaria ranks 42nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).