Country statistics

56 out of 189 in Human Development Index rating (UNDP, 2019)

$9,540 Average annual salary per person (World Bank, 2021)

23.8% of the population living below the national poverty line (UNDP, 2019) 

Bulgaria has a population of 6.9 million who are fairly evenly distributed throughout most of the country, although urban areas attract larger populations. Bulgaria suffers from corruption in public administration, a weak judiciary, lack of transparency and presence of organised crime (CIA Factbook, 2019). 

Bulgaria is considered a transit country for refugees, although there have been an estimated 67,634 refugee and migrant arrivals from 2015-2021 (CIA Factbook, 2019).

Over the past 20 years, rural areas have experienced a major loss of employment, income, and services. Living standards in villages are below the 1990 level (Habitat for Humanity, 2021). 

Homelessness in Bulgaria has not been a government priority and was only formally defined in 2018. There are no official statistics that are collected, or research done into causes of homelessness. (European Social Policy Network, 2019) 

Currently 12.9% of people suffer from severe housing deprivation (FEANTSA, 2019).

In 2013, the number of people registered in temporary accommodation facilities stood at 1,370. The real number was likely much higher since the figure only accounts for people with government-issued IDs who signed up in those facilities. The most vulnerable people at risk of homelessness are refugees, the Roma minority, elderly, and young people out of foster homes. (Borgen Project, 2019).

More than 40 per cent of Bulgarians are at risk of poverty and social exclusion (Irish Times, 2018). In 2018 the country was also the EU's most corrupt nation, according to the Transparency International Index, with a world ranking of 77th place.