The figures a foreign founder, investor or employer usually asks us for first: tax rates, wages and social security, the state of the economy, and how Bulgaria's 28 districts compare. Every figure shows its period and its source.
Economy and regional figures last updated 7 Oct 2026, checked against Eurostat weekly · tax and labour figures checked by YARD Law on 7 Oct 2026
Since 1 January 2026, converted at the fixed rate of 1.95583 leva per euro
Bulgarian National Bank ↗Joined the European Union on 1 January 2007; full Schengen member since 1 January 2025
European Union ↗Official language Bulgarian · time zone EET (UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer)
Headline rates only. Whether a rate applies to you, and how, depends on your structure and residence - ask us before you rely on it.
Final tax on dividends paid to individuals. A rise to 10% was proposed for 2026 and dropped. Withholding on dividends to foreign companies follows separate rules.
Ministry of Finance ↗Social security contributions are charged on pay up to the maximum insurable income. Contribution rates are set each year in the social security budget law.
Per month, from 1 August 2026 (€2,111.64 before). Social security contributions are not charged above it.
National Social Security Institute ↗Women · men, in 2026, with 36y 10m and 39y 10m of insured service respectively
National Social Security Institute ↗These figures update automatically from Eurostat, the EU statistics office. Provisional and Estimate mean the statistics office may still revise them.
In 2024, 6 of 28 districts grew in population. Switch layers to compare them; select any district for its full profile.
Boundaries: Eurostat GISCO, NUTS 2024 · © EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries
| District | Population change2024 | Natural change2025 | Population2025 | GDP per head2024 | Net migration2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blagoevgrad | −2.6‰ | −6.0‰ | 286,333 | €9,200 | +2.5‰ |
| Burgas | +11.6‰ | −6.5‰ | 388,919 | €11,900 | +17.0‰ |
| Dobrich | −9.8‰ | −12.3‰ | 145,207 | €9,100 | +3.3‰ |
| Gabrovo | −11.1‰ | −14.7‰ | 93,817 | €12,700 | +3.4‰ |
| Haskovo | +1.2‰ | −9.1‰ | 207,356 | €7,400 | +10.2‰ |
| Kardzhali | +19.7‰ | −9.6‰ | 149,478 | €8,200 | +28.6‰ |
| Kyustendil | −14.4‰ | −14.8‰ | 106,131 | €8,400 | 0.0‰ |
| Lovech | −12.6‰ | −12.7‰ | 110,823 | €9,200 | −0.3‰ |
| Montana | −15.7‰ | −14.1‰ | 112,737 | €7,800 | −1.9‰ |
| Pazardzhik | −7.9‰ | −9.3‰ | 223,494 | €9,100 | +0.6‰ |
| Pernik | −10.4‰ | −13.2‰ | 109,886 | €9,100 | +4.4‰ |
| Pleven | −11.8‰ | −11.2‰ | 215,326 | €9,800 | −0.8‰ |
| Plovdiv | +3.2‰ | −5.5‰ | 635,630 | €13,100 | +8.5‰ |
| Razgrad | −12.4‰ | −11.8‰ | 99,459 | €9,100 | −0.8‰ |
| Ruse | −9.3‰ | −12.2‰ | 186,093 | €11,600 | +2.4‰ |
| Shumen | −2.8‰ | −9.9‰ | 149,279 | €9,300 | +6.6‰ |
| Silistra | −12.6‰ | −12.1‰ | 93,549 | €7,300 | +0.1‰ |
| Sliven | −4.4‰ | −3.9‰ | 169,299 | €6,700 | −1.6‰ |
| Smolyan | −17.2‰ | −13.5‰ | 90,534 | €9,500 | −5.0‰ |
| Sofia City | +6.9‰ | −2.2‰ | 1,295,931 | €35,400 | +8.9‰ |
| Sofia Province | −7.6‰ | −9.3‰ | 224,701 | €12,800 | +1.3‰ |
| Stara Zagora | −5.6‰ | −7.9‰ | 288,736 | €22,400 | +1.9‰ |
| Targovishte | −9.2‰ | −11.3‰ | 94,735 | €10,400 | +1.1‰ |
| Varna | +7.6‰ | −5.5‰ | 437,521 | €15,200 | +12.8‰ |
| Veliko Tarnovo | −9.0‰ | −11.0‰ | 200,413 | €11,300 | +2.7‰ |
| Vidin | −17.3‰ | −17.9‰ | 70,542 | €8,300 | −0.1‰ |
| Vratsa | −11.0‰ | −11.3‰ | 146,002 | €14,800 | −0.4‰ |
| Yambol | −8.4‰ | −8.3‰ | 105,429 | €9,900 | −0.2‰ |
The most common vehicle for foreign founders is a limited liability company (OOD, or EOOD with one owner). See our company formation service for non-residents, the practical guide, opening the company bank account and whether a company gives you residence.
Limited liability company; each share at least €0.01
YARD Law: converting company capital to euroJoint-stock company; each share at least €0.01
YARD Law: converting company capital to euroUpdated automatically. The economy figures and the district map come from Eurostat and the National Statistical Institute. A scheduled job checks Eurostat every week and publishes a figure only when the statistics office has released a newer one. A figure is never replaced by an older period, and a value outside a plausible range is held back for review rather than published.
Checked by hand. Tax rates, the minimum wage, social security limits and the retirement age have no automatic feed. YARD Law checks them against the Ministry of Finance, the National Social Security Institute and the National Statistical Institute, and each carries the date it was last checked. They are reviewed at least every January, when most of them change.
Download. The full dataset, with sources and periods, is available as JSON.
General information only, not tax or legal advice. Rates and thresholds depend on the facts of each case.
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