Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 20.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in Bulgaria, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, tax revenue in Bulgaria stood at 20.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Bulgaria peaked at 23.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1995.
Bulgaria ranks 48th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23.8% | — |
| 1991 | 22.3% | -6.3% |
| 1992 | 16.9% | -24.3% |
| 1993 | 15.2% | -10.0% |
| 1994 | 21.2% | +39.6% |
| 1995 | 11.2% | -47.5% |
| 1996 | 12.1% | +8.2% |
| 1997 | 18.5% | +53.5% |
| 1998 | 19.4% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 20.0% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 20.5% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 19.8% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | +10.8% |
| 2004 | 21.0% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 20.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 21.8% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 18.6% | -15.4% |
| 2010 | 17.9% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 19.7% | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 19.6% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 20.3% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 20.0% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 20.6% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 20.6% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 20.5% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 20.7% | +0.8% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 20.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 20.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.8%, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +53.5% | 12.1% | 18.5% |
| 1995 | -47.5% | 21.2% | 11.2% |
| 1994 | +39.6% | 15.2% | 21.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.1% | 11.2% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.5% | 18.1% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 17.9% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 20.2% | 21.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More public sector data for Bulgaria
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 540.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.464 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 200 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Bulgaria?
- Tax revenue in Bulgaria was 20.7% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 23.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1995.
- How does Bulgaria rank for tax revenue?
- Bulgaria ranks 48th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.