Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (FTE) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (FTE) was 56.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
56.0%
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
5th
of 74 countries
All-time high
56.0%
in 2023
All-time low
29.4%
in 1999
Years of data
28
1996–2023
Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (FTE) in Bulgaria, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) in Bulgaria stood at 56.0%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) in Bulgaria peaked at 56.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 1999.
Bulgaria ranks 5th of 74 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (FTE) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 35.4% | — |
| 1997 | 33.8% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 29.7% | -12.1% |
| 1999 | 29.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 34.1% | +15.8% |
| 2001 | 33.3% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 35.6% | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 36.8% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 37.5% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 36.8% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 36.3% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 41.0% | +12.9% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 42.3% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 45.2% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 44.7% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 44.9% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 47.9% | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 47.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 51.2% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 51.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 51.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 52.0% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 53.5% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 52.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 53.3% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 54.3% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 56.0% | +3.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 56.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 44.3%, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 56.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 46.5%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.1% | 29.4% | 35.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 33.3% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.0% | 44.7% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.1% | 52.8% | 56.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 2 Tunisia 59.6% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 59.3% compare
- 4 North Macedonia 56.9% compare
- 6 Philippines 55.8% compare
- 7 Argentina 55.8% compare
- 8 Egypt 55.3% compare
More science & technology data for Bulgaria
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 118.07 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.24 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 7.98 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 73.83 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.1136 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.4474 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 4,998 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0008 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) in Bulgaria?
- Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) in Bulgaria was 56.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 1999.
- How does Bulgaria rank for female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte)?
- Bulgaria ranks 5th out of 74 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (fte) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (FTE) - Higher education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release