The average annual salary in Bulgaria reached €16,201 in 2025, but the country remained in last place in the European Union. Eurostat data, recalculated on a full-time equivalent basis, show a nominal increase of 5.3% compared with 2024.
A year earlier, the average annual salary in Bulgaria was €15,387. In 2023, it amounted to €13,503, while in 2022 it stood at €11,880. Thus, over three years, the increase reached €4,321, or 36.4%.
However, the rate of increase is slowing. In 2023, salaries rose by 13.7%, and in 2024 by 14%. In 2025, the increase was limited to 5.3%.
Bulgaria Is Below 40% of the EU Average
The average annual salary in the European Union reached €41,464 in 2025, compared with €39,773 in 2024, representing an increase of 4.3%. From 2022 to 2025, the average level in the union rose by 16.2%, while in Bulgaria the increase was 36.4%.
Despite the faster increase, the Bulgarian salary reached 39.1% of the EU average. In 2022, the ratio was 33.3%, and in 2024 it was 38.7%.
The highest average annual salary in 2025 was recorded in Luxembourg at €85,609. Denmark followed with €73,500, and Ireland with €64,387. The figure was €61,984 in Belgium, €60,727 in Austria, and €56,360 in Germany.
Greece and Hungary Are Immediately Above Bulgaria
After Bulgaria in the ranking came Greece with €18,772 and Hungary with €20,138. In Romania, the average annual salary reached €20,818, while in Slovakia it was €21,661. In Croatia, the figure was €26,933, while in Slovenia it reached €37,586.
Eurostat’s methodology includes data from national accounts and the Labour Force Survey. The pay of part-time employees was recalculated as a full-time equivalent.
„The figures have not been adjusted for inflation, which is why the increases reported are nominal and do not directly show the change in purchasing power“, Eurostat уточнява.