Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 3.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria, 1981–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 3.3% for public and publicly guaranteed debt service in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.0% on the previous year and up 198.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria peaked at 26.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1981.
That places Bulgaria 95th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.7% | — |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +139.4% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +74.6% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +37.8% |
| 1985 | 10.2% | +147.7% |
| 1986 | 15.6% | +52.6% |
| 1987 | 17.1% | +9.8% |
| 1988 | 21.9% | +28.2% |
| 1989 | 26.3% | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 18.6% | -29.2% |
| 1991 | 5.3% | -71.8% |
| 1992 | 5.8% | +10.7% |
| 1993 | 5.4% | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 10.7% | +95.7% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 14.5% | +22.5% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | +10.0% |
| 1998 | 13.3% | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 10.6% | -20.0% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | -33.8% |
| 2003 | 5.9% | -14.8% |
| 2004 | 9.2% | +56.9% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +28.6% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -69.2% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -29.6% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | +25.6% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -21.9% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -31.8% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -24.6% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | +295.9% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -78.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +22.5% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +175.0% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -68.2% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -20.0% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +181.5% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +17.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 3.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.0%, 67% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +295.9% | 1.3% | 5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.2% | 0.7% | 26.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 11.2% | 5.3% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 2.5% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.1% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 1.0% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More external debt data for Bulgaria
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 116.56 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 18.1 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0.001 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre -80.51 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.1% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -70.13 million NFL, current US$ (2022)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate 5.99 % change on previous year (2022)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 27.38 billion US dollar (2025)
- Use of IMF credit 1.96 billion DOD, current US$ (2022)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 15.87 billion DOD, current US$ (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria?
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Bulgaria was 3.3% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1981.
- How does Bulgaria rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
- Bulgaria ranks 95th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 198.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.