Homicide rate (World Health) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Homicide rate was 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
1.08 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
157th
of 194 countries
All-time high
3.78 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
1.08 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Bulgaria, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, homicide rate in Bulgaria stood at 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.3% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Bulgaria peaked at 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
That places Bulgaria 157th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 3.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 3.3 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 3.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 2.94 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 2.67 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 2.48 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 2.33 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 2.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 2.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 1.81 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 1.57 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 1.54 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.39 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.7% |
| 2017 | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 1.14 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people, 96% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.04 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.11 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.14 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 154 Denmark 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 154 New Zealand 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 156 Romania 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 158 Greece 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 158 Iceland 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 158 North Macedonia 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people 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 homicide rate in Bulgaria?
- Homicide rate in Bulgaria was 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for homicide rate?
- Bulgaria ranks 157th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.