Self-employed persons by occupation in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Self-employed persons by occupation was 372 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
372 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 10.1%
World rank
20th
of 36 countries
All-time high
415.2 Thousand persons
in 2000
All-time low
301.3 Thousand persons
in 2021
Years of data
26
2000–2025

Self-employed persons by occupation in Bulgaria, 2000–2025

01002003004002000201220252000: 415.2 Thousand persons2001: 371.1 Thousand persons2002: 372.5 Thousand persons2003: 389.1 Thousand persons2004: 401.1 Thousand persons2005: 368.6 Thousand persons2006: 366.4 Thousand persons2007: 363.8 Thousand persons2008: 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

In 2025, self-employed persons by occupation in Bulgaria stood at 372 Thousand persons.

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 occupation in Bulgaria peaked at 415.2 Thousand persons in 2000 and was at its lowest, 301.3 Thousand persons, in 2021.

Bulgaria ranks 20th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 379.75 Thousand persons 363.8 Thousand persons 415.2 Thousand persons 10
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. 17 Sweden 478.5 Thousand persons compare
  2. 18 Serbia 454.1 Thousand persons compare
  3. 19 Slovakia 397.8 Thousand persons compare
  4. 21 Ireland 350.2 Thousand persons compare
  5. 22 Finland 304.4 Thousand persons compare
  6. 23 Croatia 211.6 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by occupation in Bulgaria?
Self-employed persons by occupation in Bulgaria was 372 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 415.2 Thousand persons in 2000.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 301.3 Thousand persons in 2021.
How does Bulgaria rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
Bulgaria ranks 20th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by occupation 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 occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by occupation
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,169 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed