Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and was 1.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
1.2%
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
40th
of 48 countries
All-time high
1.2%
in 2022
All-time low
0.5%
in 2001
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria, 2000–2023

00.250.50.7511.22000201120232000: 0.51 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2001: 0.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2002: 0.51 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2003: 0.54 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2004: 0.55 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2005: 0.57 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2006: 0.56 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2007: 0.58 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2008: 0.57 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2009: 0.64 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2010: 0.62 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2011: 0.63 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2012: 0.66 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2013: 0.67 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2014: 0.77 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2015: 0.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2016: 1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2017: 0.95 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2018: 1.1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2019: 1.1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2020: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2021: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2022: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2023: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC).

Analysis

In 2023, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria stood at 1.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and up 77.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria peaked at 1.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2001.

That places Bulgaria 40th out of 48 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex in Bulgaria, 2000 to 2023.
Year Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC) Change
2000 0.5%
2001 0.5% -2.0%
2002 0.5% +2.0%
2003 0.5% +5.9%
2004 0.6% +1.9%
2005 0.6% +3.6%
2006 0.6% -1.8%
2007 0.6% +3.6%
2008 0.6% -1.7%
2009 0.6% +12.3%
2010 0.6% -3.1%
2011 0.6% +1.6%
2012 0.7% +4.8%
2013 0.7% +1.5%
2014 0.8% +14.9%
2015 0.9% +16.9%
2016 1.0% +12.2%
2017 0.9% -5.9%
2018 1.1% +12.6%
2019 1.1% +6.5%
2020 1.2% +2.6%
2021 1.2% +0.9%
2022 1.2% +5.9%
2023 1.2% -4.8%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 1.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.2%, 54% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 1.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 53% of the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 10
2010s 0.8% 0.6% 1.1% 10
2020s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 4

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 37 Slovakia 1.5% compare
  2. 37 Slovakia 1.5% compare
  3. 39 Türkiye 1.2% compare
  4. 41 Malta 1.1% compare
  5. 42 Serbia 1.0% compare
  6. 43 Russian Federation 1.0% compare
  7. 43 Russia 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More work & labour data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria?
Share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria was 1.2% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2001.
How does Bulgaria rank for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and?
Bulgaria ranks 40th out of 48 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 77.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex
Unit
Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
51 places, 1,043 data points, 1992–2024
Last refreshed