Population by labor force status in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Population by labor force status was 966,876 people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
966,876 people
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
121st
of 186 countries
All-time high
1.72 million people
in 1991
All-time low
966,876 people
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in Bulgaria, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 966,876 people for population by labor force status in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Bulgaria peaked at 1.72 million people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 966,876 people, in 2025.
Bulgaria ranks 121st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.72 million people | — |
| 1992 | 1.65 million people | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 1.59 million people | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 1.54 million people | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 1.50 million people | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.45 million people | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 1.40 million people | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 1.34 million people | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.30 million people | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 1.25 million people | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 1.21 million people | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 1.16 million people | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million people | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 1.08 million people | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 1.05 million people | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 1.03 million people | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 1.01 million people | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 1.00 million people | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.00 million people | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1.00 million people | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 997,439 people | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 992,116 people | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 993,068 people | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 997,172 people | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 998,201 people | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 999,616 people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.00 million people | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.00 million people | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.00 million people | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.00 million people | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 996,046 people | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 992,428 people | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 987,985 people | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 978,136 people | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 966,876 people | -1.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 966,876 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170 people, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 966,876 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.31 million people, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.50 million people | 1.30 million people | 1.72 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.09 million people | 1.00 million people | 1.25 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 998,936 people | 992,116 people | 1.00 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 987,020 people | 966,876 people | 1.00 million people | 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 population by labor force status in Bulgaria?
- Population by labor force status in Bulgaria was 966,876 people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 1.72 million people in 1991.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 966,876 people in 2025.
- How does Bulgaria rank for population by labor force status?
- Bulgaria ranks 121st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. 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
Population below working age (under 15 years old).