Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Gini coefficient (before tax) was 0.5501 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria, 1924–2023
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria stood at 0.5501.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria peaked at 0.5563 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.2948, in 1988.
Bulgaria ranks 57th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 0.4062 | — |
| 1925 | 0.4028 | -0.8% |
| 1926 | 0.3972 | -1.4% |
| 1927 | 0.3952 | -0.5% |
| 1928 | 0.3937 | -0.4% |
| 1929 | 0.39 | -0.9% |
| 1930 | 0.3893 | -0.2% |
| 1931 | 0.393 | +1.0% |
| 1932 | 0.3936 | +0.2% |
| 1933 | 0.3993 | +1.4% |
| 1934 | 0.4003 | +0.3% |
| 1935 | 0.4005 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.4008 | +0.1% |
| 1937 | 0.4048 | +1.0% |
| 1938 | 0.4056 | +0.2% |
| 1939 | 0.4048 | -0.2% |
| 1940 | 0.4101 | +1.3% |
| 1941 | 0.4076 | -0.6% |
| 1942 | 0.407 | -0.1% |
| 1943 | 0.4017 | -1.3% |
| 1944 | 0.4014 | -0.1% |
| 1945 | 0.4019 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 0.333 | -17.1% |
| 1981 | 0.329 | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 0.3544 | +7.7% |
| 1983 | 0.3444 | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 0.3437 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 0.2969 | -13.6% |
| 1988 | 0.2948 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 0.329 | +11.6% |
| 1990 | 0.36 | +9.4% |
| 1993 | 0.452 | +25.6% |
| 1994 | 0.4974 | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 0.5128 | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 0.4966 | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 0.4924 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 0.474 | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 0.47 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 0.4613 | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.4723 | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 0.4897 | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 0.4772 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4851 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.4702 | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 0.4717 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.4723 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.4932 | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 0.4736 | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4952 | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 0.5054 | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.5294 | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 0.5486 | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 0.5472 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5308 | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5308 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.5455 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.5563 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 0.5501 | -1.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 0.5501 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4706, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 0.5501 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4669, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +25.6% | 0.36 | 0.452 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.3975 | 0.39 | 0.4062 | 6 |
| 1930s | 0.3992 | 0.3893 | 0.4056 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4049 | 0.4014 | 0.4101 | 6 |
| 1980s | 0.3281 | 0.2948 | 0.3544 | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.4694 | 0.36 | 0.5128 | 8 |
| 2000s | 0.476 | 0.4613 | 0.4897 | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.5067 | 0.4717 | 0.5486 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5457 | 0.5308 | 0.5563 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
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 gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria?
- Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria was 0.5501 in 2023, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5563 in 2022.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2948 in 1988.
- How does Bulgaria rank for gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Bulgaria ranks 57th out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.