Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax was 41.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% 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 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria is 41.5%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria peaked at 42.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 1988.
Bulgaria ranks 55th of 109 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 19.7% | — |
| 1981 | 19.9% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 22.7% | +13.7% |
| 1983 | 22.4% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 22.0% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 16.8% | -23.7% |
| 1988 | 16.2% | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | +28.6% |
| 1990 | 23.4% | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 30.3% | +29.7% |
| 1994 | 35.1% | +15.9% |
| 1995 | 38.1% | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 36.1% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 34.4% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 31.7% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 30.9% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 32.1% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 33.8% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 32.9% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 33.2% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 33.6% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 33.2% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 33.6% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 35.6% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 34.0% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 35.5% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 36.4% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 39.6% | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 41.9% | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 41.6% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 39.6% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 39.2% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 40.8% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 41.5% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.1% | 16.2% | 22.7% | 8 |
| 1990s | 32.9% | 23.4% | 38.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 32.7% | 30.9% | 33.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 33.2% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.0% | 39.2% | 42.4% | 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 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria?
- Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Bulgaria was 41.5% 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 10% before and after tax recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% before and after tax recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 1988.
- How does Bulgaria rank for income share of the richest 10% before and after tax?
- Bulgaria ranks 55th out of 109 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share of the richest 10% before and after tax rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. 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 10% 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 10% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.