External debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: External debt as a share of gross national income was 55.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
External debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria, 2000–2022
Source: World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 55.1% for external debt as a share of gross national income in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria peaked at 110.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 55.1%, in 2022.
That places Bulgaria 41st out of 121 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
External debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 92.9% | — |
| 2001 | 79.3% | -14.6% |
| 2002 | 73.5% | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 66.4% | -9.8% |
| 2004 | 62.8% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 61.8% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 83.5% | +35.2% |
| 2007 | 106.5% | +27.5% |
| 2008 | 102.4% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 110.6% | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 102.2% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 85.4% | -16.4% |
| 2012 | 96.0% | +12.3% |
| 2013 | 94.6% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | -11.9% |
| 2015 | 82.2% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 76.7% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 71.0% | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 62.8% | -11.5% |
| 2019 | 60.9% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 68.9% | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 55.5% | -19.5% |
| 2022 | 55.1% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 84.0% | 61.8% | 110.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.5% | 60.9% | 102.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.8% | 55.1% | 68.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More economy & growth data for Bulgaria
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.58 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 10.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7718 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 15,689 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.4465 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per 9,076 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), annual growth 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), per unit of 0.4991 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria?
- External debt as a share of gross national income in Bulgaria was 55.1% in 2022, according to World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest external debt as a share of gross national income recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 110.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest external debt as a share of gross national income recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.1% in 2022.
- How does Bulgaria rank for external debt as a share of gross national income?
- Bulgaria ranks 41st out of 121 countries with data for 2022.
- Is external debt as a share of gross national income rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of External debt as a share of gross national income. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
External debt stocks as a proportion of GNI (%).