Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Poverty levels in Bulgaria are rising

Study reveals one fifth of Bulgarians live in poverty

Photo: Archive

More than a fifth of Bulgarians are poor, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economics. People living in deficit are increasing to 21.7% based on data on unemployment, low education, higher number of children in the household, older age, ethnicity.
Last year, 3 million people or 46% of the population were unable to meet unexpected financial expenses such as urgent repairs to their home or car, sudden illness, replacing a washing machine or refrigerator. 

Over 41% of people could not afford a week-long vacation away from home, over 39% - to replace old furniture, and 19% - to maintain a normal temperature in their home. 

In addition, every fifth person over 16 years of age has experienced difficulties in buying clothes and shoes and did not have even a small amount of money for personal needs.

Material deprivation among children is decreasing, but at the same time remains relatively high. Every tenth child does not have new clothes, two pairs of shoes, one daily meal that includes meat, or the opportunity to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and name days.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

A Bulgarian Christmas tree with a cause to light up Las Vegas

On December 15 at 6 p.m., the traditional festive ceremony for lighting the Bulgarian Christmas tree in Las Vegas will take place at BESO Restaurant, according to eurochicago.com. The tree will be adorned with ornaments featuring Bulgarian motifs, most of..

published on 11/20/25 4:33 PM

The Bulgarian Embassy in Tokyo hosts Rose Water Recipe Award contest

The final round of the twelfth edition of the Rose Water Recipe Award was hosted by the Bulgarian Embassy in Tokyo. According to a Facebook post by the diplomatic mission in Japan, the competition was organised by the Bulgarian Rose Cultural..

published on 11/20/25 1:54 PM

Million-euro cultural artefact smuggling ring busted in Bulgaria

A huge criminal network trafficking cultural artefacts and laundering money has been dismantled by the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office, the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP), Europol, and the Italian Carabinieri , BGNES reported...

published on 11/20/25 1:39 PM