Bulgaria — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Bulgaria: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Bulgaria is in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey. It covers 110,879 sq km. 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire). Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast. Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers.
| Capital | Sofia |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,737,997 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $219.645 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $34,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2.8% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.4% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 4.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 30.1% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $62.661 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $60.029 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 76.1 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 45.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 76.7% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) |
| Languages | Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.) |
Bulgaria’s GDP is $219.645 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $112.212 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 2.8% (2024 est.). See where Bulgaria ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Bulgaria spent its first quarters inside the eurozone after January's historic adoption — the single biggest structural achievement of any 2026 European government.
No new shocks; the momentum is flat because the big win is already banked and consolidation takes time.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 2.4%; unemployment near 4.2% — work for whoever wants it
Bauxite, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Coal, Timber.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 35.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 40.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 8.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 7.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 102.171 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 191.8 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 37.1 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 28,382 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Nuclear 41.8%, Coal 21.6%, Solar 14.4%, Hydro 7.8%, Gas 5.0%, Wind 4.0%, Oil 0.5% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 72.9% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 264.2 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $62.661 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $60.029 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $2.6 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Rumen Radev — Prime Minister. President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017)
Bulgaria maintains 73 embassies and 20 consulates abroad, hosts 69 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 73 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 20 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 69 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, EU Brussels, NATO Brussels, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Consular Affairs Center, of-country ranking, Mar 2026, Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/18917562/ . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center, in-country ranking, Jan/Feb 2026, Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/18109976/ . Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 354 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 107 + 8 heliports (registration prefix LZ) |
| Major seaports | Burgas, Varna |
| Railways | 4029 km |
| Pipelines | 2,765 km gas, 346 km oil, 378 km refined products (2017) |
Major airports
Burgas Airport (BOJ) — Burgas; Plovdiv International Airport (PDV) — Plovdiv; Sofia Airport (SOF) — Sofia; Varna Airport (VAR) — Varna.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2024 — parliamentary (snap); 2024-10-27; winner: Boyko Borissov (GERB-SDS); Chronic political crisis since 2020; GERB formed coalition with BSP, ITN and DPS-Dogan Reuters |
| Next election | 2028 — parliamentary (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Bulgaria.
Historical timeline of Bulgaria
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Bulgaria — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Bulgaria's power score?
Bulgaria has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.