Number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 6.38 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria, 1992–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria is 6.38 million people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria peaked at 8.54 million people in 1992 and was at its lowest, 6.38 million people, in 2023.
Bulgaria ranks 81st of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 8.54 million people | — |
| 2006 | 6.99 million people | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 7.36 million people | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 7.35 million people | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 7.31 million people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 7.20 million people | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 7.09 million people | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 7.09 million people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 6.93 million people | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 6.88 million people | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 6.66 million people | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 6.68 million people | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 6.67 million people | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.61 million people | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 6.51 million people | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 6.50 million people | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 6.43 million people | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 6.40 million people | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 6.38 million people | -0.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 6.38 million people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.58 million people, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 6.38 million people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.39 million people, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.54 million people | 8.54 million people | 8.54 million people | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.25 million people | 6.99 million people | 7.36 million people | 4 |
| 2010s | 6.83 million people | 6.51 million people | 7.20 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.43 million people | 6.38 million people | 6.50 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 78 Kyrgyzstan 7.06 million people compare
- 79 Paraguay 6.78 million people compare
- 80 Serbia 6.55 million people compare
- 82 Mozambique 6.10 million people compare
- 83 El Salvador 6.02 million people compare
- 84 Denmark 5.93 million people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Bulgaria
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.75 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,224 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 29.97 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Bulgaria was 6.38 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.54 million people in 1992.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.38 million people in 2023.
- How does Bulgaria rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Bulgaria ranks 81st out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.