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

Poverty levels in Bulgaria are rising

Study reveals one fifth of Bulgarians live in poverty

Photo: Archive

More than a fifth of Bulgarians are poor, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economics. People living in deficit are increasing to 21.7% based on data on unemployment, low education, higher number of children in the household, older age, ethnicity.
Last year, 3 million people or 46% of the population were unable to meet unexpected financial expenses such as urgent repairs to their home or car, sudden illness, replacing a washing machine or refrigerator. 

Over 41% of people could not afford a week-long vacation away from home, over 39% - to replace old furniture, and 19% - to maintain a normal temperature in their home. 

In addition, every fifth person over 16 years of age has experienced difficulties in buying clothes and shoes and did not have even a small amount of money for personal needs.

Material deprivation among children is decreasing, but at the same time remains relatively high. Every tenth child does not have new clothes, two pairs of shoes, one daily meal that includes meat, or the opportunity to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and name days.



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

Delyan Peevski

''DPS – New Beginning'' urges that local taxes remain unchanged in 2026

“I call on all representatives of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in local government — mayors and municipal councilors — to ensure security and predictability for the people and to take the necessary steps to keep all local taxes and fees..

published on 11/25/25 10:02 AM

Bulgaria rises in global digital quality of life ranking

Bulgaria has climbed to 11th place in this year’s Digital Quality of Life 2025 (DQL) index published by Surfshark, up from 18th last year, BTA reported. The index evaluates countries’ digital well-being across five dimensions: fixed broadband..

published on 11/25/25 9:45 AM
Todor Chobanov

Bulgaria expects the return of over 2,700 antiques from abroad

Around 90% of the antiques seized during an international operation targeting a cultural property trafficking network will be returned to Bulgaria, Deputy Minister of Culture Todor Chobanov told “Nova TV”.   “This is an unprecedented operation in..

published on 11/25/25 9:22 AM