Bulgaria

Country Summary

Introduction

Background

The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II.

Geography

Area

total: 110,879 sq km
land: 108,489 sq km
water: 2,390 sq km

Climate

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

People and Society

Population

6,827,736 (2023 est.)

Ethnic groups

Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)

Languages

Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)

Religions

Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.66% (2023 est.)

Government

Government type

parliamentary republic

Capital

name: Sofia

Executive branch

chief of state: President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017); Vice President Iliana IOTOVA (since 22 January 2017)
head of government: Prime Minister Nikolay DENKOV (since 6 June 2023)

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list, proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

Economy

Economic overview

upper-middle-income EU economy; improving living standards and very robust economic growth; coal-based infrastructure; legacy structural vulnerabilities and widespread corruption; increasing Russian economic relations, particularly through energy trade

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$167.804 billion (2021 est.)
$155.902 billion (2020 est.)
$162.328 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

$24,400 (2021 est.)
$22,500 (2020 est.)
$23,300 (2019 est.)

Agricultural products

wheat, maize, sunflower seed, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, grapes, tomatoes, watermelons

Industries

electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers

Remittances

0.94% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.36% of GDP (2020 est.)
3.4% of GDP (2019 est.)

Exports

$51.505 billion (2021 est.)
$39.541 billion (2020 est.)
$44.041 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Germany 16%, Romania 8%, Italy 7%, Turkey 7%, Greece 6% (2019)

Exports - commodities

copper, wheat, electricity, refined petroleum, packaged medicines (2021)

Imports

$50.059 billion (2021 est.)
$38.197 billion (2020 est.)
$41.843 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Germany 11%, Russia 9%, Italy 7%, Romania 7%, Turkey 7% (2019)

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, copper, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum (2019)

Exchange rates

leva (BGN) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
1.654 (2021 est.)
1.716 (2020 est.)
1.747 (2019 est.)
1.657 (2018 est.)
1.735 (2017 est.)


Page last updated: Wednesday, December 13, 2023