Statistical information Bulgaria 1999

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: 8,194,772 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: -0.52% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: Bulgarian(s)
Adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 85%, Turk 9%, other 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 674,643; female 641,943)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,744,634; female 2,800,816)
65 years and over: 16% (male 570,766; female 761,970) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: -0.52% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 8.71 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 13.2 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.66 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 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-Environmental Protocol, 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto 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
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 12.37 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 72.27 years
Male: 68.72 years
Female: 76.03 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (1999 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)
Head 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; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister
Election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote_Petar STOYANOV 59.73%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote 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 nine-year terms
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUA, NAM (guest), NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, 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: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-5,740
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: In April 1997, the current ruling Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) government won pre-term parliamentary elections and introduced an IMF currency board system which succeeded in stabilizing the economy. The triple digit inflation of 1996 and 1997 has given way to an official consumer price increase of 1% in 1998. Following declines in GDP in both 1996 and 1997, the economy grew an officially estimated 4% in 1998. In September 1998, the IMF approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility, which provides credits worth approximately $864 million, designed to support Bulgaria's reform efforts. The government's structural reform program includes:(a) privatization and, where appropriate, liquidation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs; (b) liberalization of agricultural policies, including creating conditions for the development of a land market; (c) reform of the country's social insurance programs; and, (d) reforms to strengthen contract enforcement and fight crime and corruption.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $4,100 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 26%
Industry: 29%
Services: 45% (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: NA%
Labor force: 3.57 million (1996 est.)
By occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 12.2% (1998 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $4.1 billion
Expenditures: $3.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1998 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: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: machinery and equipment; metals, minerals, and fuels; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles (1997)
Partners: Italy 12%, Germany 10%, Turkey, Greece, Russia (1997)
Imports: $4.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles (1997)
Partners: Russia 28%, Germany 11%, Italy, Greece, US (1997)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $9.3 billion (1998 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1_1,685.10 (January 1999), 1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997), 177.89 (1996), 67.17 (1995), 54.13 (1994)
Note: the official rate is pegged to the euro as of 1 January 1999
top of pageElectricityProduction: 41.575 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 51.17%
Production by source hydro: 6.1%
Production by source nuclear: 42.73%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 41.08 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 2.045 billion kWh (1996)
Imports: 1.55 billion kWh (1996)
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
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: $226.8 million (1997)
Percent of gdp: 2.2% (1997)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 61 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 56
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 19
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 11
With paved runways under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (1998 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 km double track)
Narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)
RoadwaysWaterways: 470 km (1987)
Merchant marineTotal: 89 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,005,092 GRT/1,508,614 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 20, chemical tanker 4, container 2, oil tanker 8, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 1 (1998 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