Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax was 17.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria, 1980–2023
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria is 17.0%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 43.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria peaked at 18.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1988.
That places Bulgaria 26th out of 109 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.0% | — |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | +54.3% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -57.0% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | +114.4% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | +25.9% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | +82.4% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +21.3% |
| 1995 | 12.9% | +15.1% |
| 1996 | 11.6% | -9.9% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | -8.5% |
| 1998 | 10.5% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 9.2% | -12.7% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 9.5% | +9.6% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | +12.1% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 13.2% | +11.2% |
| 2013 | 11.8% | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 12.9% | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +20.6% |
| 2017 | 18.5% | +16.2% |
| 2018 | 17.9% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | -13.2% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 17.5% | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 17.0% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.5% | 1.9% | 4.9% | 8 |
| 1990s | 10.0% | 5.0% | 12.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.7% | 11.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 11.2% | 18.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 15.3% | 17.5% | 4 |
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)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 7,671 constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 7.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 15.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.87 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 17,685 current US$ per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria?
- Income share of the richest 1% before and after tax in Bulgaria was 17.0% 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 1% before and after tax recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% before and after tax recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1988.
- How does Bulgaria rank for income share of the richest 1% before and after tax?
- Bulgaria ranks 26th out of 109 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share of the richest 1% before and after tax rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.8%. 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 1% before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.