ARCHIVE // BG // 2015

Bulgaria

2015 Edition — sovereign

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Communications
Broadcast media [time series]
4 national terrestrial TV stations with 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned; a vast array of TV stations are available from cable and satellite TV providers; state-owned national radio broadcasts over 3 networks; large number of private radio stations broadcasting, especially in urban areas (2010)
Internet country code [time series]
.bg
Internet users [time series]
total: 4.1 million | percent of population: 57.0% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: inherited an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network from the Soviet era; quality has improved with a modern digital trunk line now connecting switching centers in most of the regions; remaining areas are connected by digital microwave radio relay | domestic: the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 in an effort to upgrade fixed-line services; mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple service providers, has reached 150 telephones per 100 persons | international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2011)
Telephones - fixed lines [time series]
total subscriptions: 1.8 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total: 9.9 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 137 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 87
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock
Budget [time series]
revenues: $19.62 billion | expenditures: $21.25 billion (2014 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
-3% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121
Central bank discount rate [time series]
0.03% (31 December 2014) | 0.02% (31 December 2013) | note: Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has had no independent monetary policy since the introduction of the Currency Board regime in 1997; this is BNB's base interest rate | country comparison to the world: 153
Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]
7.56% (31 December 2014 est.) | 8.11% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111
Current account balance [time series]
$25 million (2014 est.) | $564.7 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Debt - external [time series]
$54.04 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $52 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]
35.4 (2012) | 26 (2001) | country comparison to the world: 38
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Bulgaria, a former Communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, averaged more than 6% annual growth from 2004 to 2008, driven by significant amounts of bank lending, consumption, and foreign direct investment. Successive governments have demonstrated a commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but the global downturn sharply reduced domestic demand, exports, capital inflows, and industrial production. GDP contracted by 5.5% in 2009, and has been slow to recover in the years since. Despite having a favorable investment regime, including low, flat corporate income taxes, significant challenges remain. Corruption in public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime continue to hamper the country's investment climate and economic prospects.
Exchange rates [time series]
leva (BGN) per US dollar - | 1.465 (2014 est.) | 1.4736 (2013 est.) | 1.52 (2012 est.) | 1.4053 (2011 est.) | 1.4774 (2010 est.)
Exports [time series]
$29.25 billion (2014 est.) | $29.58 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68
Exports - commodities [time series]
clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners [time series]
Germany 12.3%, Italy 9.1%, Turkey 8.9%, Romania 8.1%, Greece 6.8%, France 4.4%, Belgium 4.2% (2014)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$55.84 billion (2014 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$128.6 billion (2014 est.) | $126.5 billion (2013 est.) | $125.1 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 78
GDP - composition, by end use [time series]
household consumption: 63.7% | government consumption: 17.1% | investment in fixed capital: 21.2% | investment in inventories: -0.9% | exports of goods and services: 71.4% | imports of goods and services: -72.5% | (2014 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]
agriculture: 4.9% | industry: 31.2% | services: 63.9% (2014 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$17,900 (2014 est.) | $17,600 (2013 est.) | $17,400 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 93
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
1.7% (2014 est.) | 1.1% (2013 est.) | 0.5% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169
Gross national saving [time series]
21.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | 23.8% of GDP (2013 est.) | 21.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: 2% | highest 10%: 35.2% (2007)
Imports [time series]
$33.56 billion (2014 est.) | $32.81 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67
Imports - commodities [time series]
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
Imports - partners [time series]
Russia 14.5%, Germany 12.4%, Italy 7.2%, Romania 6.9%, Turkey 5.6%, Greece 5.2%, Spain 5% (2014)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
3.5% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85
Industries [time series]
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
-1.4% (2014 est.) | 0.9% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 3
Labor force [time series]
2.981 million | note: number of employed persons (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 6.7% | industry: 30.2% | services: 63.1% (2013)
Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]
$7.232 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $7.014 billion (31 December 2013) | $6.666 billion (31 December 2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83
Population below poverty line [time series]
21% (2012 est.)
Public debt [time series]
25.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | 25.9% of GDP (2013 est.) | note:: defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds | country comparison to the world: 135
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$20.27 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $19.78 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58
Stock of broad money [time series]
$46.42 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $47.33 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]
$2.599 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $2.199 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]
$52.75 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $50.75 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56
Stock of domestic credit [time series]
$38.58 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $40.21 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68
Stock of narrow money [time series]
$20.85 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $19.05 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
35.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58
Unemployment rate [time series]
11.5% (2014 est.) | 11.8% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]
44.51 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66
Crude oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90
Crude oil - imports [time series]
124,700 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42
Crude oil - production [time series]
1,400 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]
15 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86
Electricity - consumption [time series]
28.5 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62
Electricity - exports [time series]
6.2 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]
46% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]
21% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85
Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]
15.5% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8
Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]
17.5% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42
Electricity - imports [time series]
3.351 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46
Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]
12.9 million kW (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51
Electricity - production [time series]
47.21 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
2.813 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - imports [time series]
2.569 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42
Natural gas - production [time series]
283 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90
Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]
94,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 80
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
73,740 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53
Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]
50,130 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
128,500 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 110,879 sq km | land: 108,489 sq km | water: 2,390 sq km | country comparison to the world: 105
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly larger than Tennessee
Climate [time series]
temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline [time series]
354 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m | highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]
total: 6.12 cu km/yr (16%/68%/16%) | per capita: 821.8 cu m/yr (2009)
Geographic coordinates [time series]
43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note [time series]
strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Irrigated land [time series]
1,046 sq km (2007)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 1,806 km | border countries (5): Greece 472 km, Macedonia 162 km, Romania 605 km, Serbia 344 km, Turkey 223 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 46.9% | arable land 29.9%; permanent crops 1.5%; permanent pasture 15.5% | forest: 36.7% | other: 16.4% (2011 est.)
Location [time series]
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references [time series]
Europe
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
earthquakes; landslides
Natural resources [time series]
bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Terrain [time series]
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total renewable water resources [time series]
21.3 cu km (2011)
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya (Sofia), Sofiya-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Capital [time series]
name: Sofia | geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Constitution [time series]
several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 12 July 1991; amended several times, last in 2007 (2007)
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria | conventional short form: Bulgaria | local long form: Republika Balgariya | local short form: Balgariya
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES (since 5 September 2012) | embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408 | mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 | telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 | FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Elena POPTODOROVA (since 4 August 2010) | chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 | FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: President Rosen PLEVNELIEV (since 22 January 2012); Vice President Margarita POPOVA (since 22 January 2012) | head of government: Prime Minister Boyko BORISOV (since 7 November 2014); Deputy Prime Ministers Tomislav DONCHEV (since 7 November 2014), Rumyana BACHVAROVA (since 7 November 2014), Meglena KUNEVA (since 7 November 2014), Ivaylo KALFIN (since 7 November 2014); note - this is BORISOV's second term as prime minister, he first served between 27 July 2009 and 13 March 2013 | cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly | elections/appointments: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 and 30 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly | election results: Rosen PLEVNELIEV elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Rosen PLEVNELIEV (independent) 52.6%, Ivailo KALFIN (BSP) 47.4%
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue | note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed
Government type [time series]
parliamentary democracy
Independence [time series]
3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
International law organization participation [time series]
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation [time series]
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Judicial branch [time series]
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges); Supreme Administrative Court (organized in 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the Judiciary | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of 4 justices every 3 years | subordinate courts: appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial
Legal system [time series]
civil law
Legislative branch [time series]
description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 5 October 2014 (next to be held in 2018) | election results: percent of vote by party - GERB 32.7%, BSP 15.4%, DPS 14.8%, RB 8.9%, PF 7.3%, BBTs 5.7%, Ataka 4.5%, ABV 4.2%, other 6.5%; seats by party - GERB 84, BSP 39, DPS 38, RB 23, PF 19, BBTs 15, Ataka 11, ABV 11
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
name: "Mila Rodino" (Dear Homeland) | lyrics/music: Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV | note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War
National holiday [time series]
Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
National symbol(s) [time series]
lion; national colors: white, green, red
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Alternative for Bulgarian Revival or ABV [Georgi PARVANOV] | Attack (Ataka) [Volen Nikolov SIDEROV] | Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Mihail MIKOV] | Bulgaria of the Citizens or DBG [Meglena KUNEVA] | Bulgaria Without Censorship or BBTs [Nikolay BAREKOV] | Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV] | Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB [Sergei STANISHEV] (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) | Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Radan KANEV] | IMRO - Bulgarian National Movement or IMRO-BNM [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV] | Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS [Lyutvi MESTAN] | National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria or NFSB [Valeri SIMEONOV] | National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Hristina HRISTOVA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2) | Order, Law, and Justice or RZS [Yane YANEV] | Patriotic Front or PF (alliance of IMRO-BNM and NFSB) | Union of Democratic Forces or SDS [Bozhidar LUKARSKI] | Reformist Bloc or RB (a five-party alliance including the DSB, DBG, and SDS)
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB | Podkrepa Labor Confederation | other: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Military
Manpower available for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 1,637,470 | females age 16-49: 1,621,352 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 1,320,955 | females age 16-49: 1,337,616 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]
male: 33,444 | female: 32,075 (2010 est.)
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2011)
Military expenditures [time series]
1.6% of GDP (2013) | 1.46% of GDP (2012) | 1.55% of GDP (2011) | 1.46% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 66
Military service age and obligation [time series]
18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in January 2008; service obligation 6-9 months (2012)
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 14.53% (male 538,266/female 505,927) | 15-24 years: 9.95% (male 373,340/female 341,507) | 25-54 years: 43.35% (male 1,598,130/female 1,517,744) | 55-64 years: 13.45% (male 451,841/female 514,696) | 65 years and over: 18.72% (male 547,887/female 797,555) (2015 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
8.92 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
69.2% | note: percent of women age 20-49 (2007)
Death rate [time series]
14.44 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 3
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: 51.9% | youth dependency ratio: 21.5% | elderly dependency ratio: 30.4% | potential support ratio: 3.3% (2015 est.)
Drinking water source [time series]
urban: 99.6% of population | rural: 99% of population | total: 99.4% of population | urban: 0.4% of population | rural: 1% of population | total: 0.6% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
3.8% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 108
Ethnic groups [time series]
Bulgarian 76.9%, Turkish 8%, Roma 4.4%, other 0.7% (including Russian, Armenian, and Vlach), other (unknown) 10% (2011 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]
7.6% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 71
Hospital bed density [time series]
6.4 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 8.66 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 9.73 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 7.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150
Languages [time series]
Bulgarian (official) 76.8%, Turkish 8.2%, Roma 3.8%, other 0.7%, unspecified 10.5% (2011 est.)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 74.39 years | male: 71.05 years | female: 77.93 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 98.4% | male: 98.7% | female: 98.1% (2015 est.)
Major urban areas - population [time series]
SOFIA (capital) 1.226 million (2015)
Median age [time series]
total: 42.1 years | male: 40.2 years | female: 44.2 years (2015 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Bulgarian(s) | adjective: Bulgarian
Net migration rate [time series]
-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126
Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]
25.6% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 72
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
3.87 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
Population [time series]
7,186,893 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 103
Population growth rate [time series]
-0.58% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 225
Religions [time series]
Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim 7.8%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Jewish) 1.7%, none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4% (2011 est.)
Sanitation facility access [time series]
urban: 86.8% of population | rural: 83.7% of population | total: 86% of population | urban: 13.2% of population | rural: 16.3% of population | total: 14% of population (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]
total: 14 years | male: 14 years | female: 15 years (2012)
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female | total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
1.45 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 204
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) (Unemployment, youth ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 28.1% | male: 29.5% | female: 26% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 73.9% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: -0.31% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none
Illicit drugs [time series]
major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; vulnerable to money laundering because of corruption, organized crime; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions (2008)
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 8,501 (Syria) (2014) | stateless persons: 67 (2014)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
68 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 73
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 57 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 17 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 | under 914 m: 26 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 11 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | 9 (2013)
Heliports [time series]
1 (2013)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 22 | by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 | foreign-owned: 14 (Germany 12, Russia 2) | registered in other countries: 30 (Belize 1, Comoros 4, Georgia 1, Malta 8, Moldova 1, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 93
Pipelines [time series]
gas 2,887 km; oil 346 km; refined products 378 km (2013)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Burgas, Varna (Black Sea)
Railways [time series]
total: 5,114 km | standard gauge: 4,989 km 1.435-m gauge (2,880 km electrified) | narrow gauge: 125 km 0.760-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 41
Roadways [time series]
total: 19,512 km | paved: 19,235 km (includes 458 km of expressways) | unpaved: 277 km | note: does not include Category IV local roads (2011) | country comparison to the world: 111
Waterways [time series]
470 km (2009) | country comparison to the world: 83