ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by was 40.13 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
40.13 %
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
65th
of 79 countries
All-time high
42.92 %
in 2008
All-time low
35.65 %
in 2016
Years of data
19
2006–2024

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria, 2006–2024

0102030402006201520242006: 42 %2007: 42.1 %2008: 42.9 %2009: 42 %2010: 41.7 %2011: 41.6 %2012: 38.9 %2013: 38.6 %2014: 37.2 %2015: 38.3 %2016: 35.6 %2017: 38.7 %2018: 38.1 %2019: 38.7 %2020: 39.3 %2021: 37.7 %2022: 39.3 %2023: 39.9 %2024: 40.1 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria is 40.13 %, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria peaked at 42.92 % in 2008 and was at its lowest, 35.65 %, in 2016.

That places Bulgaria 65th out of 79 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Female — Value in Bulgaria, 2006 to 2024.
Year % Change
2006 42 %
2007 42.1 % +0.2%
2008 42.92 % +1.9%
2009 42.05 % -2.0%
2010 41.68 % -0.9%
2011 41.65 % -0.1%
2012 38.85 % -6.7%
2013 38.64 % -0.5%
2014 37.25 % -3.6%
2015 38.27 % +2.7%
2016 35.65 % -6.8%
2017 38.7 % +8.6%
2018 38.07 % -1.6%
2019 38.72 % +1.7%
2020 39.31 % +1.5%
2021 37.7 % -4.1%
2022 39.3 % +4.2%
2023 39.87 % +1.5%
2024 40.13 % +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 42.27 % 42 % 42.92 % 4
2010s 38.75 % 35.65 % 41.68 % 10
2020s 39.26 % 37.7 % 40.13 % 5

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 62 South Africa 41.07 % compare
  2. 63 North Macedonia 40.87 % compare
  3. 64 Bosnia and Herzegovina 40.46 % compare
  4. 66 Italy 39.81 % compare
  5. 67 Greece 39.51 % compare
  6. 68 Colombia 39.06 % compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More economy & growth data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria?
Ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria was 40.13 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 42.92 % in 2008.
What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 35.65 % in 2016.
How does Bulgaria rank for ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by?
Bulgaria ranks 65th out of 79 countries with data for 2024.
Is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Female — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-labour-force-survey-labour-force-participation-rate-by-age-total-15-rural-areas-3/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, total (15+), rural areas — Female — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
86 places, 1,544 data points, 1987–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database.