Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 17.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 17.0% for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in 2023.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria peaked at 22.7% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1989.
Bulgaria ranks 77th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 8.0% | — |
| 1992 | 14.6% | +82.5% |
| 1994 | 10.9% | -25.3% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | +47.7% |
| 1997 | 18.0% | +11.8% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +18.9% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | -24.3% |
| 2006 | 22.7% | +40.1% |
| 2007 | 18.7% | -17.6% |
| 2008 | 17.7% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 18.9% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 19.4% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 19.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 18.8% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | +6.9% |
| 2016 | 19.3% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 18.4% | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 17.3% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 17.8% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | -12.4% |
| 2021 | 16.0% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 16.1% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | +5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.0% | 8.0% | 8.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 14.9% | 10.9% | 18.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 16.2% | 22.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 17.3% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.2% | 15.6% | 17.0% | 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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Bulgaria was 17.0% in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2006.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1989.
- How does Bulgaria rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Bulgaria ranks 77th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.