Bulgaria Income Share Bottom 10%
Income share held by lowest 10% SI.DST.FRST.10
Bulgaria's income share bottom 10% was 2.18% in 2025, ranked 53rd globally. This represents a 3.8% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1989–2025.
Overview
Bulgaria's income share bottom 10% stood at 2.18% in 2025, a rise of +0.08pp from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 2.18% by 2025. Bulgaria ranked 53rd globally.
Bulgaria’s share of national income accruing to the bottom 10 percent of earners fell from its 1989 peak of 4.60 % to a historic low of 1.50 % in 2015, before rising modestly to 2.18 % in 2025, placing the country 53rd globally. The decline through the post‑communist transition reflects widening inequality as market reforms concentrated earnings among higher‑skill workers, while the modest rebound coincides with targeted social‑protection programmes and modest wage growth at the lower end of the distribution. Bulgaria’s 2025 share is slightly below that of Uruguay (2.15 %) and Mexico (2.23 %), suggesting that its bottom‑decile income share remains among the lower tier of emerging economies. The upward movement since the 2015 trough indicates a gradual rebalancing, but sustaining progress will likely require deeper investments in education, active labour‑market policies and progressive taxation to prevent a reversal of the recent gains.
Data & projection
| Year | Income Share Bottom 10% | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 2.21% | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 2.18% | - | - |
| 2025 | 2.18% | +0.08pp | #53 |
| 2023 | 2.10% | +0.00pp | #38 |
| 2022 | 2.10% | +0.10pp | #53 |
| 2021 | 2.00% | −0.20pp | #66 |
| 2020 | 2.20% | +0.30pp | #49 |
| 2019 | 1.90% | +0.00pp | #60 |
| 2018 | 1.90% | +0.00pp | #74 |
| 2017 | 1.90% | +0.30pp | #58 |
| 2016 | 1.60% | +0.10pp | #71 |
| 2015 | 1.50% | −0.50pp | #74 |
| 2014 | 2.00% | +0.20pp | #57 |
| 2013 | 1.80% | −0.20pp | #63 |
| 2012 | 2.00% | −0.10pp | #64 |
| 2011 | 2.10% | +0.00pp | #55 |
| 2010 | 2.10% | −0.30pp | #61 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Bulgaria matched the Fiscal Dominance Trap pattern in 2022. Historically, 72% of countries showing this pattern (278 out of 386) saw income share bottom 10% improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Bulgaria's income share bottom 10% was 2.18% in 2025. Ranked 53rd globally. This represents a 3.8% increase from the previous year.
Bulgaria's income share bottom 10% peaked at 4.60% in 1989.
The lowest income share bottom 10% in Bulgaria was 1.50% in 2015.
Bulgaria ranks 53rd globally in income share bottom 10% as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SI.DST.FRST.10. Data sourced from World Bank.
Bulgaria's income share bottom 10% is projected to reach 2.18% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The income share bottom 10% of Bulgaria in 2025 was 2.18%. This ranks 53rd in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_bulgaria_income-bottom-10,
title = {Bulgaria Income Share Bottom 10%},
url = {https://historysaid.com/bulgaria/income-bottom-10/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}