Homicide rate in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Homicide rate was 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Homicide rate in Bulgaria, 1990–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides per 100,000 population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate in Bulgaria is 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Bulgaria peaked at 5.91 homicides per 100,000 population in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.9951 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2020.
That places Bulgaria 129th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.87 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.57 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.91 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.92 homicides per 100,000 population | 2 homicides per 100,000 population | 4.15 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.11 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.99 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.9951 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.29 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 126 Slovakia 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 127 Romania 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 128 United Kingdom 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 130 Belgium 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 131 Turkmenistan 1.01 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 132 Jordan 0.9878 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Bulgaria
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 105,596 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 533 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.833 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.849 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.499 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.397 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.849 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Bulgaria?
- Homicide rate in Bulgaria was 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.91 homicides per 100,000 population in 1995.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9951 homicides per 100,000 population in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for homicide rate?
- Bulgaria ranks 129th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.