Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 3.52 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 3.52 for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of down 15.5% on the previous year and down 61.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria peaked at 11.42 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.52, in 2025.
Bulgaria ranks 59th of 74 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11.42 | — |
| 2015 | 9.14 | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 7.58 | -17.1% |
| 2017 | 6.16 | -18.6% |
| 2018 | 5.21 | -15.5% |
| 2019 | 4.15 | -20.4% |
| 2020 | 5.04 | +21.4% |
| 2021 | 5.17 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 4.15 | -19.7% |
| 2023 | 4.32 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 4.17 | -3.6% |
| 2025 | 3.52 | -15.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 3.52 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.87, 72% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 3.52 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.82, 61% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.28 | 4.15 | 11.42 | 6 |
| 2020s | 4.39 | 3.52 | 5.17 | 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 rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria?
- Unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Bulgaria was 3.52 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 11.42 in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.52 in 2025.
- How does Bulgaria rank for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Bulgaria ranks 59th out of 74 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.5%. 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 rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). 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.