Bulgaria: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2.6 percentage points from 23.8% in 2019. Since 2015 it is down 1.7 percentage points from 22.9% in 2015.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bulgaria's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 0.5 percentage points on 2023 (from 21.7% to 21.2%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.41 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.2 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.3 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.21 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 42% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bulgaria had the 4th highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bulgaria in the 2024 ranking

• Colombia — 1st of 10: 31.8%
• Pakistan — 2nd of 10: 28.9%
• Armenia — 3rd of 10: 21.7%
• Romania — 5th of 10: 18.4%
• Türkiye — 6th of 10: 13%
• Georgia — 7th of 10: 9.4%

What this measures

National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 10 values

Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in nearby economies

• Albania — 19.7% (2022)
• Armenia — 21.7% (2024)
• Austria — 14.8% (2021)
• Belarus — 3.5% (2024)
• Cyprus — 13.9% (2021)
• Czechia — 10.2% (2021)
• Estonia — 22.5% (2022)
• Finland — 12.2% (2022)
• Georgia

More poverty data for Bulgaria

• Income share held by second 20% — 11.3% (2023)
• Income share held by third 20% — 15.4% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 21.2% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 46.2% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 31.1% (2023)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 14.6% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.1% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 6% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 1% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bulgaria's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)?

21.2% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2015?

It is down 1.7 percentage points from 22.9% in 2015. The highest value was 23.8% in 2019 and the lowest 20.6% in 2022.

How does Bulgaria rank?

4th highest of 10 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) unusual for Bulgaria?

In 2024, Bulgaria's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 0.5 percentage points on 2023 (from 21.7% to 21.2%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.41 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.NAHC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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