Bulgaria

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Located on the eastern part of Southeast Europe, the Bulgarian territory is largely made up of the Balkan Mountains, a central plane and a flat sea line. To the north it borders Romania with the Danube River making up a large part of this border, to the east it borders the Black Sea, to the south it borders Turkey and Greece and to the west it borders North Macedonia and Serbia.

Known for its natural springs, its cuisine as well as its mountain range, Bulgaria, or the Republic of Bulgaria has had a long struggle for independence. Its history started with Bulgarian tribes that lived in the Balkans which were called the Bulgars. These territories were conquered by the Roman empire and were regained after the collapse of the Roman empire. Up until the 15th century, the Bulgarian state has had many feuds with its neighboring states, but it was the Ottoman Empire that conquered Bulgaria and ruled over it for more than four centuries. Bulgaria changed its status from a province of the Ottoman Empire to an independent state at the end of the 19th century when the Ottoman Empire was forced to do so as a result of the Russo Turkish war. In order to maintain a balance of power in Europe, Bulgaria was pronounced as an independent state instead of a vassal to the Russian Empire. After its independence, Bulgaria fought the Ottoman Empire in order to gain the territory of Macedonia which it lost a few years later. During the second world war, Bulgaria sided with Nazi Germany and lost its territory to the Soviet Union at the end of the second world war when it became a satellite state of the Soviet Union. This only changed at the start of the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Communist Party of Bulgaria stepped down. Since then, Bulgaria had set its goals towards the West where it became a member of the European Union and NATO at the start of the 21st century.

Bulgaria has a total surface area of 111,500 square kilometers or 43,000 square miles which ranks it as the 103rd largest state in the world making it slightly larger than Cuba and slightly smaller than Liberia.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its total amount of surface water is around 2400 square kilometers or 925 square miles which ranks Bulgaria as the 87th state with the most surface water.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Around 2.2 percent of the total territory of Bulgaria consists of water. The majority of this water is in the form of rivers with the Danube River being the largest.

Bulgaria experiences two different climates with a Mediterranean climate to the south and a continental climate in the north. This means that the northern area of Bulgaria is subject to cold winters as well as relatively warm summers while the southern part experiences hot and dry summers with relatively mild winters. The average temperature in Bulgaria is around 10 degrees Celsius or 50.1 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks it as the 154th warmest state in the world.

Temperature

During the summer period, which spans from may until September, the average temperature is around 14.7 degrees Celsius or 58.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Its winter period spans from December until February when the temperature drops down to 5.9 degrees Celsius or 42.6 degrees Fahrenheit making it the 37th coldest state in the world.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Rainfall mainly occurs during summertime and is fairly evenly spread out throughout Bulgaria with the northern and more mountainous parts receiving around twice the amount of the southern part and eastern coast. The average amount of rainfall that Bulgaria receives is 63 centimeters or 24.6 inches per year.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, is home to around 1.1 million people. The capital that is closest located to Sofia is Skopje, North Macedonia with a distance of 160 kilometers or 100 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Sofia is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 17.700 kilometers or just under 11,000 miles.

The Bulgarian economy has experienced a large shift in recent decades. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it transformed its economy from a centralized and planned economy to a market-based economy and has seen a steady economic growth since its accession to the European union. The main income of Bulgaria is based on the export of metals as well as agricultural products. Since its accession, Germany has become the largest trading partner of Bulgaria representing around 15 percent of its total imports and exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Bulgaria is a member of 15 international economic organizations which ranks it as the 42nd most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Bank for International Settlements
Black Sea Trade and Development Bank
Council of Europe Development Bank
Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization

TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance

The GDP of Bulgaria is around US$66 billion which ranks it as the 77th largest economy in the world.

Bulgaria has the 72nd largest GDP per capita with an average income of US$9350

The purchasing power of its citizens is around US$23,400. This puts the purchasing power parity per capita as the 63rd highest in the world.

Bulgaria has the 85th highest GDP in the world in terms of surface area with around US $590.000 per square kilometer or around US $1.5 million per square mile.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power of its citizens is around US$23,400. This puts the purchasing power parity per capita as the 63rd highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Afghanistan.

With a population of just over 7 million people, Bulgaria is the 120th most populous state in the world. A large proportion of its population is ethnically Bulgarian with Bulgars and Slavs as their ancestors. Around three quarters of the Bulgarian population speaks Bulgarian. Other large languages that are present in Bulgaria are Turkish due to its border with Turkey and Romani due to its large share of Roma gypsies.

Population

Bulgaria has a relatively low population density with around 63 people per square kilometer or 162 people per square mile. This ranks Bulgaria as the 120th most densely populated state in the world.

Population density

it is estimated that around 1.5 million people have emigrated. The most popular destinations for migration are Turkey, mainly due to re-and migration and Germany due to economic migration.

Emigration

it is estimated that around 1.5 million people have emigrated. The most popular destinations for migration are Turkey, mainly due to re-and migration and Germany due to economic migration.

Immigration

it is estimated that just over 150,000 people have immigrated to Bulgaria which represents around 2.3 percent of the total population. The largest share of immigrants come from former Soviet states as well as refugees from the Syrian civil war.

Literacy

Education is compulsory between the ages of five and 16. This has led to a relatively high literacy rate of 97.8 percent which makes Bulgaria as the 58th most literate state in the world.

Health

The health care system of Bulgaria is a public health care system which is funded through compulsory insurance. It is argued that it provides low quality health care compared to other European states and the wealthier citizens choose private healthcare instead. The average life expectancy in Bulgaria is 75.5 years. Women have an average life expectancy of 79 years while men have an average life expectancy of 72 years.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Islam has played a large part when Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule, and Orthodox Christianity has played a large role in Bulgaria during the time of the Byzantine Empire. The remnants of these empires still play a large role in present-day Bulgaria which has Orthodox Christianity as its official state religion.

Bulgaria is ranked as the 40th most Christian state with 82.6 percent of the population adhering to Christianity. However, in recent years this number has been on the decline. This is mainly due to the collaboration that has taken place between communists in Bulgaria and clergyman that were acting as the secret police.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam is the second largest religion in Bulgaria and is practiced by 13.6 percent of the Bulgarian population. The Muslim population in Bulgaria is mainly of Turkish descent has been present in the territory of Bulgaria for more than 800 years.

With less than 2000 practitioners, Buddhism has a fairly small representation within the Bulgarian society. The Buddhists that are present in Bulgaria mainly come from Vietnam but are also largely represented by Chinese citizens and represents a total of 0.07 percent of the total population.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria has been introduced to Hinduism through Hindu organizations which are connected to the Hare Krishna denomination. Even though there are no temples within Bulgaria, the Hindus in Bulgaria, which are less than 1000, gather through official Hindu organizations.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

The first recorded Jews in Bulgaria immigrated from other European states where they were expelled. Throughout the Bulgarian history, Jews and Christians have lived very peacefully and during the second world war Bulgaria placed the Jews under special protection. After the second world war many Jews emigrated to Israel. At present, it is estimated that Jews represent 0.04 percent of the total Bulgarian population.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions within Bulgaria mainly stem from pagan religions that are practiced in small communities within rural Bulgaria. Many of these practitioners of pagan believes have converted to Christianity throughout the centuries. It is estimated that around 0.06 percent of the total Bulgarian population practices a non-mainstream religion.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

During communist rule, atheism was enforced by the Bulgarian communist state. This has led to several restrictions on religions. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, many Bulgarians have turned back to religion leaving behind the percentage of 2.8 that does not adhere to any religion.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

It is currently the 60th most funded military in the world with an annual budget of US$2.1 billion which corresponds to roughly 3.1 percent of its GDP.

The Bulgarian military, officially known as the Bulgarian Army, consists of a Navy, an Air Force and ground forces. It is headed by the President of Bulgaria and its role mainly consists of maintaining border integrity as well as the protection of Bulgaria’s sovereignty. During the Soviet era, it was a member of the Warsaw Pact, but after the fall of the Soviet Union it has joined NATO.

Military membership

Bulgaria is also a member of 11 international military organizations which ranks it as the 23rd most militarily interconnected state in the world. Bulgaria is a member of the following organizations:

Permanent Structured Cooperation
Conference on Disarmament
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group

Military membership

International wars

In total, Bulgaria has participated in 12 international wars. These are:

Crimean War 1853-1856
Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885-1885
Second Balkan War 1913-1913
World War I 1914-1918
Incident at Petrich 1915-1915

World War II 1939-1945
Greek Civil War 1946-1949
Vietnam War 1955-1975
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968-1968
Eritrean–Ethiopian War 1998-2000

First Ivorian Civil War 2001-2007
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011

Number of international wars fought

Member states of NATO Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Australia Group Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Bulgaria is a member of 16 international political organizations which ranks it as the 22nd most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Central European Initiative
Energy Community
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Union for the Mediterranean
International Criminal Court
Interpol

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Even though Bulgaria has a democracy, its government has inherited the same democratic flaws as other former Soviet states. Some democratic deficits are corruption, nepotism and organized crime. This ranks Bulgaria currently as the 56th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The President of Bulgaria is the head of government, which is democratically chosen. The official political structure within Bulgaria is a representative democratic republic which is represented by multiple parties and has the Prime Minister as head of government.

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy
UNIDROIT
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organisation for Animal Health