Homicides in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Homicides was 59 deaths in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
59 deaths
Change on year
down 16.9%
World rank
63rd
of 113 countries
All-time high
428 deaths
in 1994
All-time low
52 deaths
in 2020
Years of data
59
1964–2022
Homicides in Bulgaria, 1964–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2022, homicides in Bulgaria stood at 59 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.9% on the previous year and down 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Bulgaria peaked at 428 deaths in 1994 and was at its lowest, 52 deaths, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 63rd of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.
Homicides in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 173 deaths | — |
| 1965 | 161 deaths | -6.9% |
| 1966 | 207 deaths | +28.6% |
| 1967 | 168 deaths | -18.8% |
| 1968 | 186 deaths | +10.7% |
| 1969 | 231 deaths | +24.2% |
| 1970 | 189 deaths | -18.2% |
| 1971 | 242 deaths | +28.0% |
| 1972 | 237 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 203 deaths | -14.3% |
| 1974 | 218 deaths | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 203 deaths | -6.9% |
| 1976 | 184 deaths | -9.4% |
| 1977 | 211 deaths | +14.7% |
| 1978 | 231 deaths | +9.5% |
| 1979 | 202 deaths | -12.6% |
| 1980 | 222 deaths | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 302 deaths | +36.0% |
| 1982 | 291 deaths | -3.6% |
| 1983 | 262 deaths | -10.0% |
| 1984 | 282 deaths | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 289 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 258 deaths | -10.7% |
| 1987 | 213 deaths | -17.4% |
| 1988 | 231 deaths | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 223 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 292 deaths | +30.9% |
| 1991 | 359 deaths | +22.9% |
| 1992 | 404 deaths | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 418 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 428 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 398 deaths | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 422 deaths | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 371 deaths | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 317 deaths | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 238 deaths | -24.9% |
| 2000 | 290 deaths | +21.8% |
| 2001 | 244 deaths | -15.9% |
| 2002 | 225 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 219 deaths | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 222 deaths | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 184 deaths | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 144 deaths | -21.7% |
| 2007 | 145 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 129 deaths | -11.0% |
| 2009 | 150 deaths | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 113 deaths | -24.7% |
| 2011 | 97 deaths | -14.2% |
| 2012 | 110 deaths | +13.4% |
| 2013 | 91 deaths | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 98 deaths | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 101 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 78 deaths | -22.8% |
| 2017 | 85 deaths | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 85 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 71 deaths | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 52 deaths | -26.8% |
| 2021 | 71 deaths | +36.5% |
| 2022 | 59 deaths | -16.9% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 59 deaths is below the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 94% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 59 deaths is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 93% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 187.67 deaths | 161 deaths | 231 deaths | 6 |
| 1970s | 212 deaths | 184 deaths | 242 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 257.3 deaths | 213 deaths | 302 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 364.7 deaths | 238 deaths | 428 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 195.2 deaths | 129 deaths | 290 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.9 deaths | 71 deaths | 113 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.67 deaths | 52 deaths | 71 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
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 homicides in Bulgaria?
- Homicides in Bulgaria was 59 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 428 deaths in 1994.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 52 deaths in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for homicides?
- Bulgaria ranks 63rd out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual number of homicides.