Labor force, total in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Labor force, total was 3.09 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force, total in Bulgaria, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in Bulgaria stood at 3.09 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Bulgaria peaked at 3.56 million in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.08 million, in 2021.
That places Bulgaria 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.45 million | 3.41 million | 3.49 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.43 million | 3.31 million | 3.56 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.28 million | 3.16 million | 3.42 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.11 million | 3.08 million | 3.13 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More education data for Bulgaria
- Population ages 15-64 63.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 14.4% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 95.3% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 22,710 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 95.3% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 95.2% (2024)
- Labor force, female 46.8% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9946 GPI (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Bulgaria?
- Labor force, total in Bulgaria was 3.09 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.56 million in 2008.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.08 million in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for labor force, total?
- Bulgaria ranks 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.