Freedom of Association Score in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Freedom of Association Score was 8 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Association Score in Bulgaria, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom of association score in Bulgaria is 8, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association score in Bulgaria peaked at 10 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 8, in 2021.
That places Bulgaria 22nd out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of Association Score in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10 | — |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 | -20.0% |
| 2023 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 8 | +0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 8 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 8 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| 2020s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 22 Armenia 8 compare
- 22 Bolivia 8 compare
- 22 Botswana 8 compare
- 22 Ghana 8 compare
- 22 Lesotho 8 compare
- 22 Liberia 8 compare
- 22 Malawi 8 compare
- 22 Mauritius 8 compare
- 22 Namibia 8 compare
- 22 Papua New Guinea 8 compare
- 22 Romania 8 compare
- 22 Senegal 8 compare
- 22 South Africa 8 compare
- 22 Ukraine 8 compare
More social development data for Bulgaria
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 105,596 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 533 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 533 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0164 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of association score in Bulgaria?
- Freedom of association score in Bulgaria was 8 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association score recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 2005.
- What is the lowest freedom of association score recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for freedom of association score?
- Bulgaria ranks 22nd out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association score rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Association Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which residents and civic groups are free from government interference to associate and assemble.