Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 106.86 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 106.86 for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is down 16.2% on the previous year and down 65.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria peaked at 384.51 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 106.86, in 2025.
That places Bulgaria 52nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 384.51 | — |
| 2015 | 305.11 | -20.7% |
| 2016 | 247.24 | -19.0% |
| 2017 | 206.95 | -16.3% |
| 2018 | 173.33 | -16.2% |
| 2019 | 131.73 | -24.0% |
| 2020 | 155.53 | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 156.75 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 127.25 | -18.8% |
| 2023 | 132.36 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 127.45 | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 106.86 | -16.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 106.86 is below the median for high income countries, which is 169.05, 63% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 106.86 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 212.69, 50% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 241.48 | 131.73 | 384.51 | 6 |
| 2020s | 134.37 | 106.86 | 156.75 | 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 unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria?
- Unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria was 106.86 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 384.51 in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 106.86 in 2025.
- How does Bulgaria rank for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Bulgaria ranks 52nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.