Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) was 372 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
372 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 10.1%
World rank
24th
of 45 countries
All-time high
379 Thousand persons
in 2008
All-time low
301.3 Thousand persons
in 2021
Years of data
18
2008–2025

Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in Bulgaria, 2008–2025

01002003004002008201620252008: 379 Thousand persons2009: 370.7 Thousand persons2010: 353.5 Thousand persons2011: 327.4 Thousand persons2012: 314.3 Thousand persons2013: 335.6 Thousand persons2014: 350.4 Thousand persons2015: 344.1 Thousand persons2016: 334.4 Thousand persons2017: 349 Thousand persons2018: 342.1 Thousand persons2019: 309.9 Thousand persons2020: 306.3 Thousand persons2021: 301.3 Thousand persons2022: 312.3 Thousand persons2023: 315.9 Thousand persons2024: 337.8 Thousand persons2025: 372 Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

The most recent figure for self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in Bulgaria is 372 Thousand persons, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 10.1% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in Bulgaria peaked at 379 Thousand persons in 2008 and was at its lowest, 301.3 Thousand persons, in 2021.

That places Bulgaria 24th out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) in Bulgaria, 2008 to 2025.
Year Thousand persons Change
2008 379 Thousand persons
2009 370.7 Thousand persons -2.2%
2010 353.5 Thousand persons -4.6%
2011 327.4 Thousand persons -7.4%
2012 314.3 Thousand persons -4.0%
2013 335.6 Thousand persons +6.8%
2014 350.4 Thousand persons +4.4%
2015 344.1 Thousand persons -1.8%
2016 334.4 Thousand persons -2.8%
2017 349 Thousand persons +4.4%
2018 342.1 Thousand persons -2.0%
2019 309.9 Thousand persons -9.4%
2020 306.3 Thousand persons -1.2%
2021 301.3 Thousand persons -1.6%
2022 312.3 Thousand persons +3.7%
2023 315.9 Thousand persons +1.2%
2024 337.8 Thousand persons +6.9%
2025 372 Thousand persons +10.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 374.85 Thousand persons 370.7 Thousand persons 379 Thousand persons 2
2010s 336.07 Thousand persons 309.9 Thousand persons 353.5 Thousand persons 10
2020s 324.27 Thousand persons 301.3 Thousand persons 372 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 21 Serbia 454.1 Thousand persons compare
  2. 22 Slovakia 397.8 Thousand persons compare
  3. 22 Slovakia 397.8 Thousand persons compare
  4. 25 Ireland 350.2 Thousand persons compare
  5. 26 Finland 304.4 Thousand persons compare
  6. 27 Croatia 211.6 Thousand persons compare
  7. 27 Croatia 211.6 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in Bulgaria?
Self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in Bulgaria was 372 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 379 Thousand persons in 2008.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 301.3 Thousand persons in 2021.
How does Bulgaria rank for self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2)?
Bulgaria ranks 24th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-persons-by-economic-activity-nace-rev-2-2008-2026/bulgaria/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-persons-by-economic-activity-nace-rev-2-2008-2026/bulgaria/">Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in Bulgaria</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026)
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 811 data points, 2008–2025
Last refreshed