Government and power in Bulgaria
Who leads Bulgaria, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary republic.
Who leads Bulgaria?
- Head of state: Iliana Iotova (President of the Republic of Bulgaria)
- Head of government: Rumen Radev (Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria)
- Foreign minister: Velislava Petrova-Chamova (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Bulgaria score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 62.7 out of 100 in 2025, 77th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 74.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 63.7.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bulgaria score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 69.9 out of 100 in 2025, 82nd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 73.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 68.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bulgaria score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 54.9 out of 100 in 2025, 88th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 69.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 52.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bulgaria score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 61.3 out of 100 in 2025, 60th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 66.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 62.9.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bulgaria score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 57.9 out of 100 in 2025, 88th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 70.8). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 55.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Bulgaria score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 42.2 out of 100 in 2025, 101st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 60.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 39.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Bulgaria's parliament?
Women held 25.0% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 98th highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Bulgaria's ministers are women?
Women held 5.3% of ministerial posts in 2025, 175th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Bulgaria spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 35.8% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Bulgaria collect?
Central government tax revenue was 20.7% of GDP in 2024, 34th highest of 92.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Bulgaria spend on the military?
Military spending was 2.0% of GDP in 2025, 61st highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Bulgaria?
Armed forces personnel numbered 37,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Bulgaria's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 83.6 out of 100 in 2024, 49th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Bulgaria?
100.0% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2022).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Bulgaria use the internet?
82.4% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Bulgaria
Government
- Council of MinistersGovernment decisions, Council of Ministers agendas and official announcements.
Parliament
- National AssemblyBills, adopted acts, plenary transcripts and member records of the unicameral parliament.
Elections
- Central Election CommissionElection decisions, candidate registration and official results.
Courts
- Supreme Court of CassationJudgments and interpretative rulings of the highest court in civil and criminal cases.
- Constitutional CourtDecisions on the constitutionality of laws and on disputes between state bodies.
Public audit
- Bulgarian National Audit OfficeAudit reports on public spending, state budget execution and public bodies.
Ombudsman
- Ombudsman of the Republic of BulgariaAnnual reports and recommendations on citizens' complaints about public bodies.
Access to information
- Commission for Personal Data ProtectionData-protection decisions, guidance and annual reports.
Public contracts
- Public Procurement AgencyPublic procurement rules, guidance and monitoring; tenders are run on the Centralised Automated Information System (CAIS EOP).
Laws and the official gazette
- State GazetteThe official gazette in which Bulgarian laws, decrees and official notices are promulgated.
Government below the national level
- Regions – oblasti (28): Regional governor appointed by the Council of Ministers
- Municipalities – obshtini (265): Municipal council and mayor (kmet) directly elected every four years (last in October 2023)
- Mayoralties – kmetstva (about 3,187) and city districts – rayoni (35): Kmetstvo mayor and district mayor directly elected; in villages under 350 people the municipal mayor appoints a deputy (kmetski namestnik)
How local power works in Bulgaria
Places in Bulgaria
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.