Statizoid

Key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Key features of electoral democracy was 0.599 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.599
Change on year
down 7.1%
World rank
72nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.721
in 2002
All-time low
0.018
in 1840
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.8178919072025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria stood at 0.599.

That represents a change of down 7.1% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria peaked at 0.721 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.018, in 1840.

Bulgaria ranks 72nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.02 —
1790 0.02 +0.0%
1791 0.02 +0.0%
1792 0.02 +0.0%
1793 0.02 +0.0%
1794 0.02 +0.0%
1795 0.02 +0.0%
1796 0.02 +0.0%
1797 0.02 +0.0%
1798 0.02 +0.0%
1799 0.02 +0.0%
1800 0.02 +0.0%
1801 0.02 +0.0%
1802 0.02 +0.0%
1803 0.02 +0.0%
1804 0.02 +0.0%
1805 0.02 +0.0%
1806 0.02 +0.0%
1807 0.02 +0.0%
1808 0.02 +0.0%
1809 0.019 -5.0%
1810 0.019 +0.0%
1811 0.019 +0.0%
1812 0.019 +0.0%
1813 0.019 +0.0%
1814 0.019 +0.0%
1815 0.019 +0.0%
1816 0.019 +0.0%
1817 0.019 +0.0%
1818 0.019 +0.0%
1819 0.019 +0.0%
1820 0.019 +0.0%
1821 0.019 +0.0%
1822 0.019 +0.0%
1823 0.019 +0.0%
1824 0.019 +0.0%
1825 0.019 +0.0%
1826 0.019 +0.0%
1827 0.019 +0.0%
1828 0.019 +0.0%
1829 0.019 +0.0%
1830 0.019 +0.0%
1831 0.019 +0.0%
1832 0.019 +0.0%
1833 0.019 +0.0%
1834 0.019 +0.0%
1835 0.019 +0.0%
1836 0.019 +0.0%
1837 0.019 +0.0%
1838 0.019 +0.0%
1839 0.019 +0.0%
1840 0.018 -5.3%
1841 0.018 +0.0%
1842 0.018 +0.0%
1843 0.018 +0.0%
1844 0.018 +0.0%
1845 0.018 +0.0%
1846 0.018 +0.0%
1847 0.018 +0.0%
1848 0.018 +0.0%
1849 0.018 +0.0%
1850 0.018 +0.0%
1851 0.018 +0.0%
1852 0.018 +0.0%
1853 0.018 +0.0%
1854 0.018 +0.0%
1855 0.018 +0.0%
1856 0.018 +0.0%
1857 0.018 +0.0%
1858 0.018 +0.0%
1859 0.018 +0.0%
1860 0.03 +66.7%
1861 0.034 +13.3%
1862 0.034 +0.0%
1863 0.034 +0.0%
1864 0.034 +0.0%
1865 0.033 -2.9%
1866 0.033 +0.0%
1867 0.035 +6.1%
1868 0.035 +0.0%
1869 0.035 +0.0%
1870 0.035 +0.0%
1871 0.035 +0.0%
1872 0.035 +0.0%
1873 0.035 +0.0%
1874 0.035 +0.0%
1875 0.035 +0.0%
1876 0.1 +185.7%
1877 0.031 -69.0%
1878 0.105 +238.7%
1879 0.235 +123.8%
1880 0.258 +9.8%
1881 0.154 -40.3%
1882 0.101 -34.4%
1883 0.111 +9.9%
1884 0.187 +68.5%
1885 0.196 +4.8%
1886 0.204 +4.1%
1887 0.185 -9.3%
1888 0.133 -28.1%
1889 0.133 +0.0%
1890 0.132 -0.8%
1891 0.13 -1.5%
1892 0.13 +0.0%
1893 0.132 +1.5%
1894 0.137 +3.8%
1895 0.217 +58.4%
1896 0.218 +0.5%
1897 0.219 +0.5%
1898 0.219 +0.0%
1899 0.209 -4.6%
1900 0.204 -2.4%
1901 0.218 +6.9%
1902 0.219 +0.5%
1903 0.218 -0.5%
1904 0.211 -3.2%
1905 0.211 +0.0%
1906 0.212 +0.5%
1907 0.212 +0.0%
1908 0.22 +3.8%
1909 0.227 +3.2%
1910 0.227 +0.0%
1911 0.227 +0.0%
1912 0.221 -2.6%
1913 0.214 -3.2%
1914 0.203 -5.1%
1915 0.202 -0.5%
1916 0.2 -1.0%
1917 0.2 +0.0%
1918 0.202 +1.0%
1919 0.207 +2.5%
1920 0.212 +2.4%
1921 0.21 -0.9%
1922 0.21 +0.0%
1923 0.168 -20.0%
1924 0.172 +2.4%
1925 0.17 -1.2%
1926 0.174 +2.4%
1927 0.177 +1.7%
1928 0.179 +1.1%
1929 0.179 +0.0%
1930 0.181 +1.1%
1931 0.191 +5.5%
1932 0.193 +1.0%
1933 0.193 +0.0%
1934 0.127 -34.2%
1935 0.093 -26.8%
1936 0.093 +0.0%
1937 0.093 +0.0%
1938 0.118 +26.9%
1939 0.111 -5.9%
1940 0.125 +12.6%
1941 0.12 -4.0%
1942 0.12 +0.0%
1943 0.138 +15.0%
1944 0.15 +8.7%
1945 0.074 -50.7%
1946 0.133 +79.7%
1947 0.126 -5.3%
1948 0.162 +28.6%
1949 0.168 +3.7%
1950 0.165 -1.8%
1951 0.163 -1.2%
1952 0.163 +0.0%
1953 0.166 +1.8%
1954 0.172 +3.6%
1955 0.172 +0.0%
1956 0.173 +0.6%
1957 0.176 +1.7%
1958 0.17 -3.4%
1959 0.17 +0.0%
1960 0.171 +0.6%
1961 0.171 +0.0%
1962 0.175 +2.3%
1963 0.175 +0.0%
1964 0.175 +0.0%
1965 0.175 +0.0%
1966 0.176 +0.6%
1967 0.176 +0.0%
1968 0.176 +0.0%
1969 0.176 +0.0%
1970 0.176 +0.0%
1971 0.176 +0.0%
1972 0.176 +0.0%
1973 0.176 +0.0%
1974 0.176 +0.0%
1975 0.177 +0.6%
1976 0.176 -0.6%
1977 0.176 +0.0%
1978 0.176 +0.0%
1979 0.176 +0.0%
1980 0.176 +0.0%
1981 0.177 +0.6%
1982 0.178 +0.6%
1983 0.178 +0.0%
1984 0.18 +1.1%
1985 0.18 +0.0%
1986 0.181 +0.6%
1987 0.181 +0.0%
1988 0.181 +0.0%
1989 0.182 +0.6%
1990 0.572 +214.3%
1991 0.622 +8.7%
1992 0.698 +12.2%
1993 0.693 -0.7%
1994 0.692 -0.1%
1995 0.691 -0.1%
1996 0.698 +1.0%
1997 0.712 +2.0%
1998 0.707 -0.7%
1999 0.716 +1.3%
2000 0.717 +0.1%
2001 0.692 -3.5%
2002 0.721 +4.2%
2003 0.721 +0.0%
2004 0.721 +0.0%
2005 0.701 -2.8%
2006 0.706 +0.7%
2007 0.705 -0.1%
2008 0.711 +0.9%
2009 0.691 -2.8%
2010 0.674 -2.5%
2011 0.672 -0.3%
2012 0.664 -1.2%
2013 0.657 -1.1%
2014 0.673 +2.4%
2015 0.671 -0.3%
2016 0.667 -0.6%
2017 0.624 -6.4%
2018 0.612 -1.9%
2019 0.609 -0.5%
2020 0.607 -0.3%
2021 0.665 +9.6%
2022 0.679 +2.1%
2023 0.659 -2.9%
2024 0.645 -2.1%
2025 0.599 -7.1%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 0.599 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.786, 76% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 0.599 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.737, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.02 0.02 0.02 1
1790s 0.02 0.02 0.02 10
1800s 0.0199 0.019 0.02 10
1810s 0.019 0.019 0.019 10
1820s 0.019 0.019 0.019 10
1830s 0.019 0.019 0.019 10
1840s 0.018 0.018 0.018 10
1850s 0.018 0.018 0.018 10
1860s 0.0337 0.03 0.035 10
1870s 0.0681 0.031 0.235 10
1880s 0.1662 0.101 0.258 10
1890s 0.1743 0.13 0.219 10
1900s 0.2152 0.204 0.227 10
1910s 0.2103 0.2 0.227 10
1920s 0.1851 0.168 0.212 10
1930s 0.1393 0.093 0.193 10
1940s 0.1316 0.074 0.168 10
1950s 0.169 0.163 0.176 10
1960s 0.1746 0.171 0.176 10
1970s 0.1761 0.176 0.177 10
1980s 0.1794 0.176 0.182 10
1990s 0.6801 0.572 0.716 10
2000s 0.7086 0.691 0.721 10
2010s 0.6523 0.609 0.674 10
2020s 0.6423 0.599 0.679 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 69 Ecuador 0.607 compare
  2. 70 Bolivia 0.605 compare
  3. 70 Romania 0.605 compare
  4. 73 Liberia 0.597 compare
  5. 74 Paraguay 0.581 compare
  6. 75 Bhutan 0.566 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria?
Key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria was 0.599 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest key features of electoral democracy recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 0.721 in 2002.
What is the lowest key features of electoral democracy recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.018 in 1840.
How does Bulgaria rank for key features of electoral democracy?
Bulgaria ranks 72nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is key features of electoral democracy rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. 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 Key features of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Key features of electoral democracy in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/key-features-of-electoral-democracy/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Key features of electoral democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.