Statistical information Bulgaria 1998

Bulgaria in the World
top of pageBackground: A Slavic state, Bulgaria achieved independence in 1908 after 500 years of Ottoman rule. Bulgaria fought on the losing side in both World Wars. After World War II it fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. Communist domination ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, and Bulgaria began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy. In addition to the problems of structural economic reform, particularly privatization, Bulgaria faces the serious issues of keeping inflation under control and unemployment, combatting corruption, and curbing black-market and mafia-style crime.
top of pageLocation: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 110,910 km²
Land: 110,550 km²
Water: 360 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundariesTotal: 1,808 km
Border countries: (4) Greece 494 km;
, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km;
, Romania 608 km;
, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km;
(all with Serbia), Turkey 240 kmCoastline: 354 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Land useArable land: 37%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 16%
Forests and woodland: 35%
Other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,370 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: earthquakes, landslides
GeographyNote: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
top of pagePopulation: 8,240,426 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: -0.6% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Bulgarian(s)
Adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 85.3%, Turk 8.5%, Gypsy 2.6%, Macedonian 2.5%, Armenian 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, other 0.6%
Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman Catholic 0.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 16% (male 696,131; female 662,335)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,756,695; female 2,812,192)
65 years and over: 16% (male 564,698; female 748,375) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: -0.6% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 8.08 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 13.24 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 12.78 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 71.96 years
Male: 68.39 years
Female: 75.74 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.14 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 99%
Female: 97% (1992 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
Conventional short form: Bulgaria
Government type: republic
Capital: Sofia
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (oblasti, singular_oblast; Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna
Dependent areasIndependence: 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 March (1878)
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997): ead of
Government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Ivan Kostov (since 19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Aleksandur BOZHKOV (since 12 February 1997 Evgeniy BAKURDZHIEV (since 21 May 1997), Veselin METODIEV (since 21 May 1997)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27 October and 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president
Election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote_Petar STOYANOV 59.73%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members are popularly elected to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 19 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party_UDF 52%, BSP 22%, ANS 7%, Euro-left 5.5%, BBB 4.95%; seats by party_UDF 137, BSP 58, ANS 19, Euro-left 14, BBB 12
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a seven-year term by the president; Constitutional Court, 12 justices appointed or elected for a nine-year term
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IIB, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUA, NAM (guest), NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Philip DIMITROV
In the us chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-7,969
In the us fax: [1] (202) 234-7,973
In the us consulates: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Avis T. BOHLEN
From the us embassy: 1 Saborna Street, Sofia
From the us mailing address: Unit 1335, APO AE 9,213-1335
From the us telephone: [359] (2) 980-52-41 through 48
From the us fax: [359] (2) 981-89-77
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed_it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: One of the poorest countries of central Europe, Bulgaria has slowly been moving from its old command economy towards a market-oriented economy. The economy faced a major crisis in 1996, marked by a banking system in turmoil, a depreciating currency, and contracting production and foreign trade. Foreign exchange reserves dwindled to $518 million, while dramatically hiked interest rates added to the domestic debt burden and stifled growth. GDP fell by 11% in 1996, after experiencing 2.0% growth in 1995. Privatization of state-owned industries stagnated, although the first auction of a mass privatization program was undertaken in late 1996. Lagging progress on structural reforms led to postponement of IMF disbursements under a $580 million standby loan agreed to in July 1996. In November 1996, the IMF proposed a currency board as Bulgaria's best chance to restore confidence in the lev, eliminate unnecessary spending, and avoid hyperinflation. The board was set up on 1 July 1997. Its establishment was followed by a reduction in inflation and interest rates and by a rise in foreign investment. Simultaneously the government pledged to sell off some of the most attractive state assets. GDP in 1997 dropped 7.4%, but is expected to rebound to an estimated 2% in 1998. Other government objectives include:the completion of land reform, the privatization and strengthening of the banking system, and the modernization of the legal environment of business.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -7.4% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $4,100 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 12%
Industry: 31%
Services: 57% (1997 est.)
Agriculture products: grain, oilseed, vegetables, fruits, tobacco; livestock
Industries: machine building and metal working, food processing, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals
Industrial production growth rate: -7.4% (1997 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 3.57 million (1996 est.)
By occupation industry: 41%
By occupation agriculture: 18%
By occupation other: 41% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $2.7 billion
Expenditures: $3.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$4.9 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodoties: machinery and equipment 15.2%; agriculture and food 18.9%; textiles and apparel 14.8%; metals, minerals, and fuels 26.5%; chemicals and plastics 20%; other 4.6% (1996)
Partners: OECD 50.0% (EU 37.2%; CIS and Central and Eastern Europe 32.4%; Arab countries 5.8%; other 11.8% (1995)
Imports: total value:$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: fuels, minerals, and raw materials 40.7%; machinery and equipment 18.4%; textiles and apparel 11.6%; agricultural products 7.5%; metals and ores 5.2%; chemicals and plastics 12.2%; other 4.4% (1996)
Partners: OECD 45.5% (EU 38.1%; CIS and Central and Eastern European countries 41.1%; Arab countries 1.8%; other 11.6% (1995)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $10 billion (1997 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1_1,740 (1997), 483.4 (1996), 70.7 (1995), 54.2 (1994), 27.1 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 12.087 million kW (1995)
Production: 41.449 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 4,821 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 2,773,293 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: almost two-thirds of the lines are residential; 67% of Sofia households have telephones (November 1988 est.)
Domestic: extensive but antiquated transmission system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; telephone service is available in most villages
International: direct dialing to 36 countries; satellite earth stations_1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region); Intelsat available through a Greek earth station
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $418.6 million (1996)
Percent of gdp: 2.0% to 2.5% (1996)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 34 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 34
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (1997 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 193 km; petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,400 km (1992)
RailwaysTotal: 4,292 km
Standard gauge: 4,047 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 double track)
Other gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)
RoadwaysWaterways: 470 km (1987)
Merchant marineTotal: 94 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,027,117 GRT/1,541,266 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 45, cargo 23, chemical tanker 4, container 2, oil tanker 9, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 1 (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: twenty bilateral agreements remain unsigned in a dispute over Bulgarian nonrecognition of Macedonian as a language distinct from Bulgarian
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; significant producer of amphetamines, much of which are consumed in the Middle East