Bulgaria  

Bulgarian workers enjoy a high level of physical capital used to produce goods and services. Low interest margins and very low default rates on loans indicate that the banking sector is moderately efficient. Export revenues are not heavily dependent on raw materials. Household expenditure as a percentage of GDP is low at 23%, and inflation is high at 8%, suggesting a weak domestic market. The domestic savings rate is well below the global average at 15%. Bulgaria ranks 68th in the Index for unemployment rate, which stands around 9%.

Bulgaria has a high level of new businesses registered annually. Barriers to entry are average for the region, with nine formal steps required. Payment for the authorised use of intangible assets such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks is high, indicating that Bulgaria is able to capitalise on its intellectual property. Bulgaria rates above the global average for value added by the service industry. The level of internet infrastructure is high, but Bulgaria ranks just 48th on the availability of secure servers. Access to personal computers is very low at just six for every 100 citizens, which is the lowest figure amongst European Union countries on this variable. High-tech and ICT exports as a percentage of manufactured exports are extremely low, and R&D expenditure as a share of GDP is just 0.7%, indicating weak innovative activities.

Bulgaria’s high score on most varibles of political and civil rights puts it on equal footing in the Index with the most established parliamentary democracies. Although a former Soviet bloc country, Bulgaria receives a high score on political and civil rights, with citizens free to express their beliefs and associate themselves with political and civic organisations. Bulgarians enjoy high levels of personal autonomy, ranking the country 31st on this variable. Multiple checks and balances in the political system prevent political leaders from implementing imprudent policies. The judiciary is highly independent and there is open competition among rival parties for the Presidency, and this position is determined by free and fair elections. On measuring democracy, Bulgaria falls just short of the highest possible rating but compares favourably with other countries in the region. Bulgaria can be classified as a semi-stable democracy with the last regime change having occurred less than 20 years ago.

Compared to other countries in the Index, Bulgaria performs well on student enrolment, with 92% of primary school-aged children in school, and one primary teacher per 16 children. With a large share of the population enrolled in secondary schooling, Bulgaria ranks 12th in the Index for this variable. Tertiary enrolment is lower but still above average, internationally, at 46%. The enrolment ratio of girls to boys is less favourable with 97 girls to 100 boys ranking Bulgaria 79th on this variable. Bulgaria’s expenditure per student is about $3,300, a low figure, but one which still places the country at 38 on this variable. Workers have an average of 5.4 years of secondary education, which is above the global average. Levels of tertiary education are also high at an average of 4.4 years per worker, placing the country at 26th on this variable.

Infant mortality is low at 12 deaths for every 1,000 live births. There are high numbers of doctors per 1,000 people and the number of hospital beds is close to the Index average of seven. Health adjusted life expectancy is high at 65 years. The overwhelming majority of the population has access to improved sanitation facilities and 61% report that water quality is high*. Undernourishment is low at 8%, though this is comparatively high among European Union countries. Subjectively, however, only 68% of respondents reported feeling satisfied with their health, ranking Bulgaria at 96 on this variable.* When asked if they felt well rested, only 64% of respondents said yes, ranking the country at a low 72.*

The homicide rate in Bulgaria is low at three deaths per 100,000 capita and crime is not a grave problem. A moderate 5% of respondents reported being mugged or assaulted in the last year and 11% report having household property stolen.* Only half of survey respondents felt safe walking alone at night, placing Bulgaria in the bottom quartile with respect to this variable.* There are some problems related to refugees and displaced persons in Bulgaria, as well as a legacy of ethnic or social discrimination. Incidents of state- ponsored violence and political terror are extremely low and Bulgaria suffered no casualties due to civil conflict in 2008. Human flight is an issue, but not significantly more than elsewhere, with Bulgaria ranked 52nd, internationally.

In Bulgaria, 98% of citizens believe that their government is corrupt.* The percentage of respondents who believe local businesses are corrupt is also similar, giving Bulgaria the lowest confidence rate, internationally.* Trust in the judicial system is amongst the bottom 10, with just 26% of respondents expressing confidence in the court structure.* Although political participation is considered to be very free and fair, only 47% of individuals believe that elections are honest.* Bulgaria’s overall performance on governance is raised by its average performance in upholding the rule of law and relatively high quality of regulation of economic and commercial activity, by international standards. Bulgaria also receives an average rating for the efficiency and quality of its bureaucracy, level of government stability, and effectiveness with respect to the implementation of policies.

Bulgarian citizens do not have freedom of religion and movement, and just 57% of Bulgarians claim to be satisfied with their freedom of choice in their daily lives.* This puts Bulgaria in the bottom 10 countries with respect to satisfaction with freedom of choice. Contrastingly, 81% of respondents believe that tolerance towards ethnic minorities is high and 75% believe that their country is a good place for immigrants.*

While 83% of Bulgarian citizens value and rely on family and friends.* Only 22% believe they can trust others. Bulgarians also have relatively low levels of involvement with voluntary associations, suggesting lower levels of social capital. Bulgaria has the lowest rate of volunteering in the Index, with just 3% of respondents having volunteered time for an organisation.* Only 18% of respondents have given donations in the past year, and a comparatively low 30% of respondents said they had helped a stranger in the previous year, putting Bulgaria in the bottom 10 for this variable of social capital.*

* Data taken from the Gallup World Poll

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