Bulgaria: Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bulgaria's total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 0.35 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.74% to 11.09%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 14.42 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 12.87 percentage points in 1991. 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 1.74 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 76% 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 62nd highest value of the 109 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

• Ethiopia — 59th of 109: 11.54%
• Azerbaijan — 60th of 109: 11.39%
• Russian Federation — 61st of 109: 11.35%
• Paraguay — 63rd of 109: 11.06%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 64th of 109: 10.84%
• Malawi — 65th of 109: 10.56%

What this measures

Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

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

All 44 values

Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in nearby economies

• Albania — 8.01% (2024)
• Armenia — 9.17% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 11.39% (2024)
• Belarus — 10.47% (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 10.84% (2024)
• Georgia — 26.56% (2024)
• Kazakhstan — 48.43% (2024)
• Kosovo — 7.18% (2024)
• Kyrgyz Republic

More economic policy & debt data for Bulgaria

• Adjusted savings, education expenditure (% of GNI) — 4.06% (2021)
• Adjusted savings, net forest depletion (current US$) — US$0 (2021)
• Adjusted savings, mineral depletion (current US$) — US$387.76 million (2021)
• Adjusted savings, energy depletion (current US$) — US$46.2 million (2021)
• Trade in services (% of GDP) — 21.44% (2025)
• Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) — 37.95% (2025)
• Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) — US$11.11 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) — US$67.93 billion (2025)
• Goods imports (current US$, BoP) — US$58.51 billion (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bulgaria's total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)?

11.09% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is up 10.38 percentage points from 0.72% in 1981. The highest value was 28.26% in 2015 and the lowest 0.72% in 1981.

How does Bulgaria rank?

62nd highest of 109 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) unusual for Bulgaria?

In 2024, Bulgaria's total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) rose 0.35 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.74% to 11.09%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 DT.TDS.DECT.EX.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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