Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (HC) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (HC) was 37.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
37.0%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
18th
of 78 countries
All-time high
51.0%
in 2002
All-time low
34.4%
in 2018
Years of data
28
1996–2023
Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (HC) in Bulgaria, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 37.0% for female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) in Bulgaria peaked at 51.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 34.4%, in 2018.
That places Bulgaria 18th out of 78 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (HC) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 43.7% | — |
| 1997 | 44.7% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 46.4% | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 44.4% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 49.4% | +11.3% |
| 2001 | 50.7% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 51.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 47.5% | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 45.1% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 48.8% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 36.7% | -24.8% |
| 2007 | 38.5% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 43.4% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 43.7% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 45.0% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 42.8% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 42.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 37.5% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 36.0% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 34.4% | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 35.6% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 35.2% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 35.8% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | +3.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 37.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.8%, 1.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 37.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 28.8%, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.8% | 43.7% | 46.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 45.3% | 36.7% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.7% | 34.4% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.4% | 35.2% | 37.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
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 (hc) in Bulgaria?
- Female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) in Bulgaria was 37.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 2002.
- What is the lowest female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.4% in 2018.
- How does Bulgaria rank for female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc)?
- Bulgaria ranks 18th out of 78 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female researchers as a percentage of total researchers (hc) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 (HC) - Business enterprise. 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