Freedom in Bulgaria
Where Bulgaria sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Bulgaria has a figure for 56 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.754 | 2025 | 69 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.833 | 2025 | 60 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.849 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.872 | 2025 | 55 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.713 | 2025 | 58 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.850 | 2025 | 31 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 0.288 | 2025 | 91 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.050 | 2025 | 55 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | -0.250 | 2025 | 119 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 11 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 90.6 | 2023 | 42 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 15 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 61 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 44.0 | 2025 | 53 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 30.0 | 2025 | 58 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 102.5% | 2025 | 34 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 20.7% | 2024 | 53 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 35.8% | 2023 | 61 of 79 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 3.7% | 2025 | 15 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 59.4 | 2024 | 50 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $35.3K | 2025 | 49 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 3.1% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 4.6% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.5% | 2025 | 53 of 163 |
| Income inequality | 39.500 | 2023 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 1.0% | 2023 | 29 of 55 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 82.4% | 2024 | 76 of 154 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 118.1 | 2024 | 71 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.599 | 2025 | 66 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.499 | 2025 | 61 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.560 | 2025 | 81 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.793 | 2025 | 55 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.900 | 2025 | 27 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.643 | 2025 | 100 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.858 | 2025 | 32 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.907 | 2025 | 21 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 60.6 | 2024 | 58 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 43.0 | 2024 | 71 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 52.2 | 2024 | 75 of 169 |
| Political stability | 66.6 | 2024 | 68 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.845 | 2023 | 46 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 75.8 | 2024 | 71 of 170 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 94.8% | 2024 | 42 of 85 |
| Health spending | 7.9% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 35.5% | 2023 | 105 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 6.0 | 2023 | 28 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 25.0% | 2025 | 86 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 50.4% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.72 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 74.2% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 7.4 | 2024 | 60 of 168 |
| Population | 6.4M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 5.31 | 2024 | 122 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 20.4% | 2021 | 100 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 8 of 169 |
What is missing
4 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Bulgaria in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Bulgaria, not a zero. Who publishes what