Employment by status in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Employment by status was 88.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Bulgaria, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Bulgaria stood at 88.1%.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Bulgaria peaked at 89.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 83.1%, in 1994.
That places Bulgaria 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 83.6% | — |
| 1992 | 83.4% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 83.2% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 83.1% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 83.1% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 83.3% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 83.3% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 83.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 83.2% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 83.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 84.3% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 84.4% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 83.8% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 83.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.7% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 86.9% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 87.6% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 87.7% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 87.7% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 87.2% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 88.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 88.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 88.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 87.3% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 87.7% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 88.4% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 88.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 88.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 88.5% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 89.3% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 88.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 88.4% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 88.0% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 88.1% | +0.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 88.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 86.7%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 88.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.3%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.3% | 83.1% | 83.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 85.5% | 83.1% | 87.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.0% | 87.2% | 88.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.5% | 88.0% | 89.3% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Bulgaria?
- Employment by status in Bulgaria was 88.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 89.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.1% in 1994.
- How does Bulgaria rank for employment by status?
- Bulgaria ranks 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.