Social spending as share of GDP in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Social spending as share of GDP in Bulgaria, 2005–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, social spending as share of gdp in Bulgaria stood at 0.3%.
The figure is up 17.0% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Bulgaria peaked at 0.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2017.
That places Bulgaria 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Social spending as share of GDP in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 0.4% | — |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -12.8% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -30.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | +13.0% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -23.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +16.5% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | +17.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
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)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate -0.3239 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.4501 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 9,150 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3119 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 6,340 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 26.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2013 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Bulgaria?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Bulgaria was 0.3% in 2021, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.