Poverty levels in Bulgaria are rising

Study reveals one fifth of Bulgarians live in poverty

published on 5/11/25 11:27 AM

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.

Bulgaria is first in the EU in terms of the share of people at risk of poverty

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.

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Poverty levels in Bulgaria are rising

Study reveals one fifth of Bulgarians live in poverty

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