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Bulgaria — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Bulgaria, 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
56.12%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · +11.7% since 1990
Labor participation for Bulgaria was 56.12% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 56.90% in 2023. The lowest was 49.44% in 1996 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.32% per year.
Bulgaria ranks 134 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 72%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 60.12%, so Bulgaria sits below it. It peaked in 2023 and has fallen 1% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 4%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
56.12%
First (1990)
50.26%
Change
+11.7%
Highest
56.90%
in 2023
Lowest
49.44%
in 1996
Average
52.69%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.32%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 56.12% |
| 2024 | 56.28% |
| 2023 | 56.9% |
| 2022 | 56.74% |
| 2021 | 55.39% |
| 2020 | 55.88% |
| 2019 | 56.66% |
| 2018 | 55.32% |
| 2017 | 55.41% |
| 2016 | 53.31% |
| 2015 | 54.21% |
| 2014 | 53.97% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.