Bulgaria: Population and Key Statistics

EuropeCapital: Sofia#52 by population

Bulgaria is a Balkan country of 6.8 million people and has been an EU member since 2007. Although its income per capita is below the EU average, it is converging steadily on the strength of information technology, outsourcing services, and manufacturing; the country entered the timetable for adopting the euro in early 2026.

Because of low fertility and emigration, Bulgaria is one of the fastest-shrinking countries in the world; its population has fallen from about 8.8 million in 1990 to its current level.

Population (2025)
6.4 million
6,433,302 people
GDP (2025)
$131bn
nominal, current US dollars
GDP per capita
$20,328
Life expectancy
75.8
years
Area
110,997
km²
Population density
58
people/km²
Median age
46.0
Internet usage
82.4%

Military Strength

Military expenditure (2024)
$2.3bn
2,330 million dollars
Share of GDP
2.15%
NATO guideline: 2%
Share of government spending
5.49%
Spending per capita
$362
per year, per person
Armed forces (2020)
37 thousand
37,000 active personnel
Armed forces per 1,000 people
5.8
1.18% of the labor force

Expenditure figures come from SIPRI and personnel counts from the IISS, both distributed through the World Bank. Source years differ by indicator, so each figure is shown with its own year.

How Bulgaria compares

Bulgaria and Germany — core indicators
020 b40 b60 b80 bGDP per capita ($)Life expectancy (years)Internet usage (%)GDP per capita ($) — Bulgaria: 20.328Life expectancy (years) — Bulgaria: 75,8Internet usage (%) — Bulgaria: 82,4GDP per capita ($) — Germany: 60.496Life expectancy (years) — Germany: 80,8Internet usage (%) — Germany: 93,5
BulgariaGermany

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only. For exact figures see the full side-by-side comparison.

Data sourcesPopulation and social indicators: UN World Population Prospects, World BankEconomy: IMF World Economic Outlook, World BankMilitary: SIPRI and IISS, distributed through the World BankLast refreshed: 2026-08-26