Labor force participation rate by age in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Labor force participation rate by age was 19.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate by age in Bulgaria, 1990–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 19.7% for labor force participation rate by age in 2024.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate by age in Bulgaria peaked at 34.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2021.
That places Bulgaria 183rd out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.2% | 28.7% | 31.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.2% | 27.9% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.2% | 23.7% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 19.7% | 21.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 180 Puerto Rico 21.7% compare
- 181 Sao Tome and Principe 21.3% compare
- 182 Mauritania 20.1% compare
- 184 Tajikistan 19.4% compare
- 185 Gabon 17.8% compare
- 186 Libya 16.7% compare
More work & labour data for Bulgaria
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 56.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 62.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 50.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 73.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 69.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate by age in Bulgaria?
- Labor force participation rate by age in Bulgaria was 19.7% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 34.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate by age recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for labor force participation rate by age?
- Bulgaria ranks 183rd out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labor force participation rate by age rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population aged 15-24 who are economically active (employed or unemployed).