Judicial Corruption Score in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Judicial Corruption Score was -0.28 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-0.28
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
97th
of 176 countries
All-time high
1.73
in 1945
All-time low
-0.28
in 2024
Years of data
148
1878–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Bulgaria, 1878–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for judicial corruption score in Bulgaria is -0.28, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 148 years on record.
That represents a change of down 240.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Bulgaria peaked at 1.73 in 1945 and was at its lowest, -0.28, in 2024.
That places Bulgaria 97th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | 0.841 | — |
| 1879 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.841 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1.73 | +106.1% |
| 1946 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.73 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.17 | -32.7% |
| 1991 | 1.17 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.478 | -59.0% |
| 1993 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.478 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.273 | -42.9% |
| 2010 | 0.273 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.273 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.406 | +48.7% |
| 2013 | 0.656 | +61.6% |
| 2014 | 0.656 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2 | -69.5% |
| 2016 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.248 | +24.0% |
| 2020 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.835 | +236.7% |
| 2023 | 0.42 | -49.7% |
| 2024 | -0.28 | -166.7% |
| 2025 | -0.28 | -0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's -0.28 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.71. (55 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's -0.28 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.02. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.841 | 0.841 | 0.841 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.29 | 0.841 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.73 | 1.73 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.73 | 1.73 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.73 | 1.73 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.73 | 1.73 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6158 | 0.478 | 1.17 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4575 | 0.273 | 0.478 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3312 | 0.2 | 0.656 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1985 | -0.28 | 0.835 | 6 |
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 judicial corruption score in Bulgaria?
- Judicial corruption score in Bulgaria was -0.28 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 1.73 in 1945.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.28 in 2024.
- How does Bulgaria rank for judicial corruption score?
- Bulgaria ranks 97th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 240.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 148 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.