Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Researchers per million inhabitants was 2,401 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2,401 FTE
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
40th
of 103 countries
All-time high
2,557 FTE
in 2022
All-time low
1,157 FTE
in 2001
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k1996200920231996: 1.8k FTE1997: 1.5k FTE1998: 1.5k FTE1999: 1.3k FTE2000: 1.2k FTE2001: 1.2k FTE2002: 1.2k FTE2003: 1.2k FTE2004: 1.3k FTE2005: 1.3k FTE2006: 1.3k FTE2007: 1.5k FTE2008: 1.5k FTE2009: 1.6k FTE2010: 1.5k FTE2011: 1.6k FTE2012: 1.5k FTE2013: 1.7k FTE2014: 1.8k FTE2015: 2.0k FTE2016: 2.2k FTE2017: 2.1k FTE2018: 2.3k FTE2019: 2.4k FTE2020: 2.4k FTE2021: 2.3k FTE2022: 2.6k FTE2023: 2.4k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria is 2,401 FTE, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 6.1% on the previous year and up 42.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria peaked at 2,557 FTE in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1,157 FTE, in 2001.

That places Bulgaria 40th out of 103 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.

Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Bulgaria, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 1,772 FTE
1997 1,451 FTE -18.1%
1998 1,464 FTE +0.9%
1999 1,306 FTE -10.8%
2000 1,180 FTE -9.7%
2001 1,157 FTE -1.9%
2002 1,169 FTE +1.0%
2003 1,224 FTE +4.7%
2004 1,264 FTE +3.2%
2005 1,302 FTE +3.0%
2006 1,348 FTE +3.6%
2007 1,471 FTE +9.2%
2008 1,506 FTE +2.3%
2009 1,593 FTE +5.8%
2010 1,471 FTE -7.7%
2011 1,606 FTE +9.2%
2012 1,537 FTE -4.3%
2013 1,685 FTE +9.6%
2014 1,822 FTE +8.1%
2015 1,977 FTE +8.5%
2016 2,237 FTE +13.2%
2017 2,125 FTE -5.0%
2018 2,343 FTE +10.3%
2019 2,420 FTE +3.3%
2020 2,401 FTE -0.8%
2021 2,347 FTE -2.3%
2022 2,557 FTE +9.0%
2023 2,401 FTE -6.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,498 FTE 1,306 FTE 1,772 FTE 4
2000s 1,321 FTE 1,157 FTE 1,593 FTE 10
2010s 1,922 FTE 1,471 FTE 2,420 FTE 10
2020s 2,426 FTE 2,347 FTE 2,557 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 37 Russian Federation 2,639 FTE compare
  2. 38 United Arab Emirates 2,607 FTE compare
  3. 39 Croatia 2,440 FTE compare
  4. 41 Malta 2,355 FTE compare
  5. 42 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2,240 FTE compare
  6. 43 Latvia 2,191 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria was 2,401 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 2,557 FTE in 2022.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 1,157 FTE in 2001.
How does Bulgaria rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Bulgaria ranks 40th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 42.4%. 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 Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE)
Unit
FTE
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
153 places, 3,275 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release