Bulgaria Travel Podcast with Georgi Dimitrov

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

Terrain

Mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Climate

Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Elevation

Highest point

Musala 2,925 m

Lowest point

Black Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

472 m

Area

Total

110,879 sq km

Land

108,489 sq km

Water

2,390 sq km

Size comparison

Almost identical in size to Virginia; slightly larger than Tennessee

Coastline

354 km

Land borders

Total

1,806 km

Border countries

Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km

Natural resources

Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

46.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land

32.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

12.7% (2023 est.)

Forest

36.2% (2023 est.)

Other

17.7% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Earthquakes; landslides

Note

Strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Population

Total

6,737,997 (2025 est.)

Male

3,281,215

Female

3,456,782

Nationality

Noun

Bulgarian(s)

Adjective

Bulgarian

Ethnic groups

Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)

Languages

Languages

Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Светoвен Алманах, незаменимият източник за основна информация. (Bulgarian)

Religions

Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

45.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

43.3 years

Female

47 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.1 years (2024 est.)

Male

72.9 years

Female

79.4 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

76.7% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

A fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations

Largest cities

1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)

Background

The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks overran the country. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878, and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004, the EU in 2007, and the Schengen Area for air and sea travel in 2024.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Sofia

Time zone

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republika Bulgaria

Independence

3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National day

Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Overview

Upper-middle-income EU economy; currency pegged to the euro, with eurozone accession pending; declining energy prices helping lower inflation rate; EU structural funds contributing to investment recovery; skilled labor shortage driven by emigration and aging population

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$34,100 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$33,100 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$32,400 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.4% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

9.4% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

15.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

4.2% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

4.4% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

4.3% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Leva (BGN) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

1.808 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

1.809 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

1.86 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1.654 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1.716 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers

Agriculture

Wheat, maize, sunflower seeds, barley, milk, rapeseed, grapes, potatoes, triticale, tomatoes (2023)

Airports

107 (2025)

Railways

Total 4,029 km (2020) 2,871 km electrified

Ports

Total ports

2 (2024)

Large

1

Medium

0

Small

1

Very small

0

Ports with oil terminals

2

Key ports

Burgas, Varna

Internet domain

.bg

Internet users

Percent of population 80% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

7.98 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

118 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes

Fresh water

21.3 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)