Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) was 53.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria, 1997–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria is 53.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria peaked at 53.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 41.1%, in 2001.
That places Bulgaria 123rd out of 178 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 44.6% | — |
| 2000 | 42.0% | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 41.1% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 41.6% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 43.1% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 44.5% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 46.7% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 49.0% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 50.8% | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 49.4% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 47.9% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 46.6% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 46.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 46.9% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 48.0% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 49.1% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 49.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 51.9% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 52.4% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 53.7% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 52.3% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 51.7% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 53.2% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 53.2% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 53.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.6% | 44.6% | 44.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 45.3% | 41.1% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.2% | 46.6% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.8% | 51.7% | 53.3% | 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 employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Bulgaria was 53.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 53.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.1% in 2001.
- How does Bulgaria rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Bulgaria ranks 123rd out of 178 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.