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.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.4% | — |
| 1997 | 0.5% | +11.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | +11.3% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -9.7% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -5.9% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +13.4% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +24.6% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +20.2% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -18.9% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | +5.4% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 0.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 53% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 0.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 58% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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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About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.