What is public sector corruption index in Bulgaria?

Public sector corruption index in Bulgaria was 0.588 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?

The highest recorded value was 0.915 in 1983.

What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?

The lowest recorded value was 0.132 in 1878.

How does Bulgaria rank for public sector corruption index?

Bulgaria ranks 77th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is public sector 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 Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Public Sector Corruption Index in Bulgaria

Name: Public Sector Corruption Index in Bulgaria
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Bulgaria: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.588 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.588

Change on year

up 24.6%

World rank

77th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.915

in 1983

All-time low

0.132

in 1878

Years of data

148

1878–2025

Public Sector Corruption Index in Bulgaria, 1878–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, public sector corruption index in Bulgaria stood at 0.588.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 24.6% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in Bulgaria peaked at 0.915 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.132, in 1878.

That places Bulgaria 77th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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	0.132	0.132	0.132	2
1880s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1890s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1900s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1910s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1920s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1930s	0.396	0.396	0.396	10
1940s	0.6528	0.396	0.912	10
1950s	0.906	0.906	0.906	10
1960s	0.906	0.906	0.906	10
1970s	0.906	0.906	0.906	10
1980s	0.9123	0.906	0.915	10
1990s	0.4843	0.38	0.527	10
2000s	0.366	0.324	0.502	10
2010s	0.473	0.401	0.559	10
2020s	0.4698	0.321	0.588	6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

74 Bolivia 0.598 compare
75 Algeria 0.595 compare
76 Kazakhstan 0.589 compare
78 Nepal 0.587 compare
79 Kenya 0.577 compare
80 Albania 0.572 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector corruption index in Bulgaria?: Public sector corruption index in Bulgaria was 0.588 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?: The highest recorded value was 0.915 in 1983.
What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Bulgaria?: The lowest recorded value was 0.132 in 1878.
How does Bulgaria rank for public sector corruption index?: Bulgaria ranks 77th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is public sector 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 Public Sector 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

Indicator: Public Sector Corruption Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 25,541 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).