Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 3,037 in 2025. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2025)
3,037
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
39th
of 69 countries
All-time high
3,366
in 2014
All-time low
3,034
in 2021
Years of data
12
2014–2025

Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria, 2014–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k2014201920252014: 3.4k2015: 3.3k2016: 3.3k2017: 3.4k2018: 3.3k2019: 3.2k2020: 3.1k2021: 3.0k2022: 3.1k2023: 3.1k2024: 3.1k2025: 3.0k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 3,037 for labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.

The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria peaked at 3,366 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3,034, in 2021.

That places Bulgaria 39th out of 69 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3,304 3,176 3,366 6
2020s 3,059 3,034 3,088 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 36 Denmark 3,307 compare
  2. 37 Serbia 3,129 compare
  3. 38 Norway 3,059 compare
  4. 40 New Zealand 3,036 compare
  5. 41 Ireland 2,955 compare
  6. 42 Finland 2,891 compare

See the full ranking of 69 places β†’

More work & labour data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria?
Labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria was 3,037 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 3,366 in 2014.
What is the lowest labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 3,034 in 2021.
How does Bulgaria rank for labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
Bulgaria ranks 39th out of 69 countries with data for 2025.
Is labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
69 places, 708 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.