Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 11.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria stood at 11.8%.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria peaked at 16.9% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 162nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.4% | — |
| 1992 | 16.6% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 16.8% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 16.9% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 16.9% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 16.7% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 16.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 16.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 15.7% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 14.3% | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 13.1% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 12.3% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 11.6% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 11.9% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 11.8% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 16.4% | 16.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.5% | 12.3% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.0% | 11.5% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 10.7% | 12.0% | 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 self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bulgaria was 11.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 1994.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Bulgaria ranks 162nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.