Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) was 2,401 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising
Researchers per million inhabitants in Bulgaria, 1996–2023
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 (FTE) in Bulgaria, year by year
| 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% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 2,401 FTE is below the median for high income countries, which is 4,601 FTE, 52% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 2,401 FTE is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,675 FTE, 65% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 7 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 7 (2024)
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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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