Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 was 47.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria, 1997–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria stood at 47.6%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria peaked at 47.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 37.6%, in 2000.
That places Bulgaria 107th out of 172 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.
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 40.6% | — |
| 2000 | 37.6% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 38.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 38.9% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 40.2% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 40.0% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 42.0% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 44.0% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 45.5% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 44.4% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 43.2% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 42.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 42.6% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 42.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 43.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 44.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 44.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 46.6% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 46.9% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 47.8% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 46.4% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 45.9% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 47.5% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 47.7% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 47.6% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 47.6% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.6% | 40.6% | 40.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 40.8% | 37.6% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.5% | 42.4% | 47.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.1% | 45.9% | 47.7% | 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 female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria?
- Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Bulgaria was 47.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 47.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.6% in 2000.
- How does Bulgaria rank for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- Bulgaria ranks 107th out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.