Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 0.8% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria peaked at 0.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1996.
That places Bulgaria 47th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More science & technology data for Bulgaria
- Scientific and technical journal articles 4,998 (2023)
- Mobile phone subscriptions 7.98 million (2024)
- Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people 118.07 per 100 people (2024)
- Mobile and landline phone subscriptions per 100 people 118.07 per 100 people (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 6 (2021)
- Share of the population using the Internet 82.4% (2024)
- Patent applications, residents 165 (2021)
- Research and development expenditure 0.8% (2023)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 1,623 Thousand persons (2025)
- Number of people using the Internet 5.18 million users (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria was 0.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1996.
- How does Bulgaria rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 47th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.