Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Sofia.
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Sofia; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapBulgaria includes the Danubian Plain, central mountain ranges and southern basins, with a coast on the Black Sea. The Balkan Mountains cross the country from west to east. Higher ranges such as Rila and Pirin rise in the southwest.
Rila’s high peaks and glacial lakes differ sharply from coastal beaches and lower agricultural plains. River valleys create routes through the mountains and connect inland regions. Elevation and exposure produce varied local climates.
Summers are generally warm to hot, while winters are cold. Mountain elevations are cooler than the surrounding lowlands.
Mountain forests give way to alpine habitats at high elevations. Lower areas include farmland, woodland and wetlands. Snowmelt and seasonal rain feed river systems, while summer conditions can be much warmer on the plains than in the uplands.
Three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · European Central Bank · euro changeover
Glacial lakes lie among the high mountain slopes.
Photo: Anthony.ganev at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The coastal landscape contrasts with Bulgaria’s interior ranges.
Photo: Evgeni Dinev from Burgas, Bulgaria · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bulgarian is the official language and uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
Turkish and Romani are major minority languages, alongside smaller community languages. English and other foreign languages are also learned and used in education, tourism and professional settings.
Bulgaria regained autonomous government after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and declared full independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Communist rule ended in 1989. It joined the EU in 2007 and adopted the euro in 2026.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · European Central Bank · euro changeover
Manufacturing, services, tourism and agriculture support the economy. Machinery, metals, chemicals and food products are important outputs, alongside information-technology services. EU trade and investment are significant.
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · European Central Bank · euro changeover
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8,489,574 | 8.490 |
| 1980 | 8,861,535 | 8.862 |
| 1990 | 8,718,289 | 8.718 |
| 2000 | 8,170,172 | 8.170 |
| 2010 | 7,395,599 | 7.396 |
| 2020 | 6,550,696 | 6.551 |
| 2025 | 6,433,302 | 6.433 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 38,582,784,071 | 38.583 |
| 1991 | 35,324,330,741 | 35.324 |
| 1992 | 32,755,408,562 | 32.755 |
| 1993 | 32,270,558,200 | 32.271 |
| 1994 | 32,857,240,787 | 32.857 |
| 1995 | 33,810,861,561 | 33.811 |
| 1996 | 35,570,878,929 | 35.571 |
| 1997 | 30,549,915,209 | 30.550 |
| 1998 | 31,707,486,474 | 31.707 |
| 1999 | 29,045,298,089 | 29.045 |
| 2000 | 30,377,671,419 | 30.378 |
| 2001 | 31,539,223,117 | 31.539 |
| 2002 | 33,391,184,646 | 33.391 |
| 2003 | 35,139,932,016 | 35.140 |
| 2004 | 37,427,690,632 | 37.428 |
| 2005 | 40,068,719,167 | 40.069 |
| 2006 | 42,794,430,902 | 42.794 |
| 2007 | 45,642,137,145 | 45.642 |
| 2008 | 48,439,798,806 | 48.440 |
| 2009 | 46,818,449,430 | 46.818 |
| 2010 | 47,546,646,112 | 47.547 |
| 2011 | 48,540,454,690 | 48.540 |
| 2012 | 48,903,932,680 | 48.904 |
| 2013 | 48,638,504,923 | 48.639 |
| 2014 | 49,100,303,097 | 49.100 |
| 2015 | 50,768,512,173 | 50.769 |
| 2016 | 52,305,086,280 | 52.305 |
| 2017 | 53,741,345,964 | 53.741 |
| 2018 | 54,993,600,228 | 54.994 |
| 2019 | 57,079,683,269 | 57.080 |
| 2020 | 55,291,242,409 | 55.291 |
| 2021 | 59,619,536,578 | 59.620 |
| 2022 | 62,054,317,358 | 62.054 |
| 2023 | 63,097,767,380 | 63.098 |
| 2024 | 65,234,945,310 | 65.235 |
| 2025 | 67,254,858,232 | 67.255 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Parliamentary republic. National Assembly (Narodno sabranie) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · European Central Bank · euro changeover
Three questions about Bulgaria.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · European Central Bank · euro changeover
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
