Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 44.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria, 1924–2023
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 44.5% for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in 2023.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria peaked at 45.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 1988.
Bulgaria ranks 53rd 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.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 33.1% | — |
| 1925 | 32.7% | -1.3% |
| 1926 | 32.0% | -2.0% |
| 1927 | 31.8% | -0.8% |
| 1928 | 31.5% | -0.7% |
| 1929 | 31.1% | -1.4% |
| 1930 | 31.0% | -0.4% |
| 1931 | 31.3% | +1.1% |
| 1932 | 31.3% | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 31.9% | +1.9% |
| 1934 | 32.0% | +0.2% |
| 1935 | 31.9% | -0.1% |
| 1936 | 31.9% | -0.1% |
| 1937 | 32.3% | +1.2% |
| 1938 | 32.3% | +0.1% |
| 1939 | 32.2% | -0.4% |
| 1940 | 32.7% | +1.6% |
| 1941 | 32.3% | -1.3% |
| 1942 | 32.1% | -0.7% |
| 1943 | 31.3% | -2.3% |
| 1944 | 31.1% | -0.5% |
| 1945 | 31.0% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 21.4% | -31.1% |
| 1981 | 21.6% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 24.7% | +14.0% |
| 1983 | 24.4% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 23.9% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | -24.2% |
| 1988 | 17.5% | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 22.8% | +29.9% |
| 1990 | 25.6% | +12.4% |
| 1993 | 33.6% | +31.6% |
| 1994 | 39.0% | +15.8% |
| 1995 | 40.5% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 38.9% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 38.0% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 36.1% | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 36.1% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 35.0% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 36.2% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 37.6% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 36.5% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 35.6% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 35.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 35.3% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 35.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 37.5% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 36.0% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 38.0% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 39.1% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 41.9% | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 44.3% | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 44.2% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 42.0% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 42.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 43.8% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 45.0% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 44.5% | -1.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 44.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 35.3%, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 44.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 34.7%, 1.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 10% vs. 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 | +31.6% | 25.6% | 33.6% |
| 1980 | -31.1% | 31.0% | 21.4% |
| 1989 | +29.9% | 17.5% | 22.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 32.0% | 31.1% | 33.1% | 6 |
| 1930s | 31.8% | 31.0% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 31.8% | 31.0% | 32.7% | 6 |
| 1980s | 21.8% | 17.5% | 24.7% | 8 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 25.6% | 40.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 36.1% | 35.0% | 37.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 39.4% | 35.3% | 44.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.8% | 42.0% | 45.0% | 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 income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Bulgaria was 44.5% in 2023, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 1988.
- How does Bulgaria rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Bulgaria ranks 53rd out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. 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 Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.