Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

More than 1/5 of Bulgarians live below the poverty line

Photo: pixabay

The poverty threshold in Bulgaria was BGN 637.92 (EUR 323) per person per month in 2023. This is an increase of 21.3 per cent compared with the previous year, when the indicator was BGN 525.92 (EUR 266), the National Statistical Institute said. 

In 2023, 1.3259 million Bulgarians, or 20.6 per cent of the country's population, were below the poverty line. In 2022, it was 1.572 million Bulgarians, or 22.9 per cent of the total population. 

The main factor that increases the risk of falling into the poorest group for the majority of the population is their economic activity and participation in the labour market. 

56.8 per cent of the poor are unemployed. The working poor represent 11.7% of the country's labour force. More than 2/3 of them are people with no school education. Part-time workers are three times more at risk of poverty than full-time workers.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Tomislav Donchev and Mila Nenova, Executive Director of Invest Bulgaria Agency, at the presentation of the map.

Ministry of Innovation and Growth presents Bulgaria’s first interactive investment map

The Ministry of Innovation and Growth has presented the country’s first interactive investment map . The platform aims to provide Bulgarian and foreign investors with useful and up-to-date information in one place, making it easier for them to make..

published on 10/17/25 10:37 AM

Bulgargaz proposes 8% increase in natural gas price for November

The Bulgarian state-owed natural gas supplier Bulgargaz has proposed that the price of natural gas for November increases by around 8% to nearly 66 BGN per megawatt-hour, excluding fees and taxes, reported BNR's journalist Yuliana Kornazheva. The..

published on 10/16/25 5:18 PM

BNB calls on the state to pursue conservative financial policy

The growth of the national economy in the second quarter of 2025 accelerated by 3.5% on an annual basis. According to an analysis by the Bulgarian National Bank - BNB, the main factors for the acceleration are the decrease in imports..

published on 10/16/25 11:28 AM