Map of Bulgaria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Bulgars a Central Asian Turkic tribe merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990 when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation unemployment corruption and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.


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Location: Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea between Romania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N 25 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 110,879 km²
Land: 108,489 km²
Water: 2,390 km²
Rank: 105
Comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1806 km
Border countries: (5) Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km

Coastline: 354 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: temperate; cold damp winters; hot dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Elevation
Mean elevation: 472 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m: highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Natural resources: bauxite copper lead zinc coal timber arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 46.9%
Forest: 36.7%
Other: 16.4%

Irrigated land: 1020 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes; landslides

Geography
Note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia


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Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger populations: 7,144,653 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 102
Growth rate: -0.6% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 229
Below poverty line: 21.8% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bulgarian
Adjective: Bulgarian

Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 76.9% Turkish 8% Roma 4.4% other 0.7% (including Russian Armenian and Vlach) other (unknown) 10% (2011 est.)

Languages: Bulgarian (official) 76.8% Turkish 8.2% Roma 3.8% other 0.7% unspecified 10.5% (2011 est.)

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 59.4% Muslim 7.8% other (including Catholic Protestant Armenian Apostolic Orthodox and Jewish) 1.7% none 3.7% unspecified 27.4% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.54%
15-24 years: 9.73%
25-54 years: 43.33%
55-64 years: 13.38%
65 years and over: 19.03% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 51.9%
Youth dependency ratio: 21.5%
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.4%
Potential support ratio: 3.3%

Median age
Total: 42.4 years
Male: 40.6 years
Female: 44.5 years
Rank: 24

Population growth rate: -0.6% (2016 est.)
Rank: 229

Birth rate: 8.8 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 212

Death rate: 14.5 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 2

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 120

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country with urban areas attracting larger populations

Urbanization
Urban population: 73.9% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.31% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: SOFIA (capital) 1.226 million (2015)

Environment
Current 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic-Marine Living Resources Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.09 male/female
25-54 years: 1.06 male/female
55-64 years: 0.88 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 26.5 (2013 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 9.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 149

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.5 years
Male: 71.2 years
Female: 78 years
Rank: 121

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 203

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 69.2%
Note: percent of women age 20-49

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.87 physicians/1000 population (2012)

Hospital bed density: 6.4 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 25.6% (2014)
Rank: 72

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.5% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 108

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.4%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 98.1%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 15 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
Conventional short form: Bulgaria
Local long form: Republika Bulgaria
Local short form: Bulgaria
Etymology: named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Sofia
Geographic coordinates: 42 41 N 23 19 E
Time difference: UTC+2
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (oblasti singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad Burgas Dobrich Gabrovo Haskovo Kardzhali Kyustendil Lovech Montana Pazardzhik Pernik Pleven Plovdiv Razgrad Ruse Shumen Silistra Sliven Smolyan Sofia Sofia-Grad (Sofia City) Stara Zagora Targovishte Varna Veliko Tarnovo Vidin Vratsa Yambol

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Liberation Day 3 March (1878)

Constitution: several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991 adopted 12 July 1991; amended several times last in 2015 (2016)

Legal system: civil law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bulgaria
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rosen PLEVNELIEV ; Vice President Margarita POPOVA (since 22 January 2012)
Head of government: Prime Minister Boyko BORISOV ; Deputy Prime Ministers Tomislav DONCHEV (since 7 November 2014) Rumyana BACHVAROVA (since 7 November 2014) Meglena KUNEVA (since 7 November 2014); note - this is BORISOV's second term as prime minister he first served between 27 July 2009 and 13 March 2013
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister elected by the National Assembly
Electionsappointments: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 6 and 13 November 2016 (next to be held fall 2021); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister elected by the National Assembly
Election results: Rumen RADEV elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Rumen RADEV 59.4% Tsetska TSACHEVA (GERB) 36.2%; note - Rumen RADEV will assume office on 22 January 2017

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie
Elections: last held on 5 October 2014
Election results: percent of vote by party - GERB 32.7% CfB 15.4% DPS 14.8% RB 8.9% PF 7.3% BBTs 5.7% Ataka 4.5% ABV 4.2% other 6.5%; seats by party - GERB 84 CfB 39 DPS 38 RB 23 PF 19 BBTs 15 Ataka 11 ABV 11

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Cassation ; Supreme Administrative Court (organized in 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the judiciary
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC and appointed by the president; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of 4 justices every 3 years
Subordinate courts: appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC CD CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EU FAO G- 9 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS IHO (pending member) ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NATO NSG OAS (observer) OIF OPCW OSCE PCA SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Tihomir Anguelov STOYTCHEV
In the us chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 387-0174
In the us FAX: [1] 234-7,973
In the us consulate general: Chicago Los Angeles New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Eric RUBIN
From the us embassy: 16 Kozyak Street Sofia 1408
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Sofia US Department of State 5,740 Sofia Place Washington DC 20,521-5,740
From the us telephone: [359] 937-5,100
From the us FAX: [359] 937-5,320

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top) green and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue
Note: the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed

National symbols: lion; national colors: white green red

National anthem
Name: 'Mila Rodino'
Lyrics and music: Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV
Note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 77

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 104

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 89

Gross national saving:
Rank: 67

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 60.9%
Government consumption: 16.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 21.2%
Investment in inventories: 0.2%
Exports of goods and services: 66.5%
Imports of goods and services: -65%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.1%
Industry: 27.6%
Services: 67.2%

Agriculture products: vegetables fruits tobacco wine wheat barley sunflowers sugar beets; livestock

Industries: electricity gas water; food beverages tobacco; machinery and equipment base metals chemical products coke refined petroleum nuclear fuel

Industrial production growth rate: 2.7% (2015 est.)
Rank: 82

Labor force: 2.552 million
Note: number of employed persons
Rank: 113
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 30.1%
By occupation services: 62.9%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 117

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21.8% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 35.2%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 91

Budget
Revenues: $18.25 billion
Expenditures: $19.12 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 81

Taxes and other revenues: 38.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 47

Public debt:
Note: defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government state government local government and social security funds
Rank: 148

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 10

Central bank discount rate:
Note: Bulgarian National Bank has had no independent monetary policy since the introduction of the Currency Board regime in 1997; this is BNB's base interest rate
Rank: 155

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 111

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 65

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 73

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 76

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 84

Current account balance:
Rank: 43

Exports:
Rank: 67
Commodities: clothing footwear iron and steel machinery and equipment fuels
Partners: Germany 12.5% Italy 9.2% Turkey 8.5% Romania 8.2% Greece 6.5% France 4.2% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 68
Commodities: machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels minerals and raw materials
Partners: Germany 12.9% Russia 12% Italy 7.6% Romania 6.8% Turkey 5.7% Greece 4.8% Spain 4.8% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 57

Debt external:
Rank: 66

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 59

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 70

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 44 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 55
Consumption: 31 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 57
Exports: 14.7 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 14
Imports: 4.3 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 45
Installed generating capacity: 11.84 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 52
Generation sources fossil fuels: 41.7% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 164
Generation sources nuclear: 16.9% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 11
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 119
Generation sources other renewable sources: 32.9% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 4

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 93
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 105
Crude oil imports: 129,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 40
Crude oil proven reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 86

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 139,100 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 65
Products consumption: 84,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 79
Products exports: 92,350 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 47
Products imports: 41,320 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 88

Natural gas
Production: 180 million m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 78
Consumption: 2.86 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 77
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 71
Imports: 2.725 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 45
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 92

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 43.61 million Mt (2014 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 65

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,654,535
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23
Fixed lines rank: 64
Mobile cellular total: 9.195 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128
Mobile cellular rank: 87

Telephone system
General assessment: inherited an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network from the Soviet era; quality has improved with a modern digital trunk line now connecting switching centers in most of the regions; remaining areas are connected by digital microwave radio relay
Domestic: the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 in an effort to upgrade fixed-line services; mobile-cellular teledensity fostered by multiple service providers is over 125 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy Albania and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (2015)

Broadcast media: 4 national terrestrial TV stations with 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned; a vast array of TV stations are available from cable and satellite TV providers; state-owned national radio broadcasts over 3 networks; large number of private radio stations broadcasting especially in urban areas (2010)

Internet
Country code: .bg
Users total: 4.072 million
Users percent of population: 56.7%
Users rank: 75

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 66

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in January 2008; service obligation 6-9 months (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 8
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 44
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,118,689
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,583,340 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: LZ (2016)

Airports: 68 (2013)
Rank: 73
With paved runways total: 57
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 17
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways under 914 m: 26
With unpaved runways total: 11
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 9

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 2,887 km; oil 346 km; refined products 378 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 5,114 km
Standard gauge: 4,989 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 125 km 0.760-m gauge
Rank: 36

Roadways
Total: 19,512 km
Paved: 19,235 km
Unpaved: 277 km
Note: does not include Category IV local roads
Rank: 111

Waterways: 470 km (2009)
Rank: 83

Merchant marine
Total: 22
By type: bulk carrier 9 cargo 8 liquefied gas 2 petroleum tanker 1 roll on/roll off 2
Foreign owned: 14
Registered in other countries: 30 (2010)
Rank: 93

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Burgas Varna


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 13,819 (Syria) (2015)
Stateless persons: 67
Note: 46,032 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals

Illicit 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; vulnerable to money laundering because of corruption organized crime; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions (2008)