Political Corruption Index in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Political Corruption Index was 0.643 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Political Corruption Index in Bulgaria, 1878–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political corruption index in Bulgaria stood at 0.643. That is the highest value across all 148 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.1% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political corruption index in Bulgaria peaked at 0.643 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.217, in 1878.
Bulgaria ranks 65th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 148 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.262 | 0.217 | 0.307 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.373 | 0.373 | 0.373 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.373 | 0.373 | 0.373 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.373 | 0.373 | 0.373 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.3747 | 0.373 | 0.383 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.3429 | 0.29 | 0.383 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.31 | 0.29 | 0.34 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3464 | 0.308 | 0.447 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3392 | 0.333 | 0.347 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3503 | 0.323 | 0.374 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3808 | 0.33 | 0.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5032 | 0.406 | 0.561 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.494 | 0.301 | 0.643 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More social development data for Bulgaria
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- 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)
- Key features of democracy 0.599 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.754 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.833 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.599 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.397 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.499 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political corruption index in Bulgaria?
- Political corruption index in Bulgaria was 0.643 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.643 in 2025.
- What is the lowest political corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.217 in 1878.
- How does Bulgaria rank for political corruption index?
- Bulgaria ranks 65th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political corruption index rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Corruption Index. 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
Central estimate of the extent to which a country is affected by political corruption.