Meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent at least once every two days remains inaccessible to 15.8% of people in Bulgaria. This means approximately one in six Bulgarians. The share is almost twice as high as the average for the European Union – 8.5%, and is surpassed only by Romania, where it reaches 18.1%. The data are for 2025 and are published in the Eurostat publication “Key data on living conditions in Europe – 2026“.
However, the indicator is improving consistently. In 2012, 51.9% of people in Bulgaria could not afford such a diet, in 2014 the share dropped to 39.5%, and in 2019 – to 27.6%. In 2023, a level below 20% was recorded for the first time - 19.9%, after which the indicator decreased to 18.7% in 2024 and to 15.8% in 2025.
Bulgaria is the second most materially deprived
Last year, 15.0% of Bulgarians were in severe material and social deprivation. These are people who cannot afford at least 7 out of 13 goods and services considered by most households to be desirable or necessary for a normal life. The average level for the EU is 6.3%, and a higher share was recorded only in Romania - 16.8%. In Greece, the indicator is 14.9%.
The difference between adults over 65 and other age groups in this indicator is the largest in Bulgaria. Eurostat defines the measurement as follows:
„The inability to pay for certain goods or services can be used as a measure of absolute poverty.“
Difficult to make ends meet and high inequality
In total, 76.9% of people in Bulgaria had at least some difficulty making ends meet in 2025. The EU average is 42.5%, and a higher share was reported only in Greece – 87.1%. 36.1% of Bulgarians described their household financial situation as difficult or very difficult, compared to 17.6% on average for the EU.
The Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, is 37.7 for Bulgaria, compared to 29.2 on average for the EU. This is the highest value among the member states. Work also does not guarantee a way out of poverty - 11.5% of those working in Bulgaria are at risk of poverty, which is the highest share in the EU.
The risk of poverty or social exclusion covers 29.0% of people in Bulgaria. This is the highest level in the EU, ahead of Greece with 27.5% and Romania with 27.4%, compared to an average of 20.9% for the EU. The risk is higher in rural areas, and the gap between villages and cities reaches 19.9 percentage points.
Internet and entertainment are also a problem
In 2025, 14.5% of Bulgarians could not afford to regularly participate in entertainment activities, compared to an EU average of 12.1%. Home internet for personal needs was inaccessible to 5.9% of people in Bulgaria, compared to an EU average of 2%. Only Romania has a higher share in this indicator - 6.2%.
Along with the problems, Eurostat also reports improvements. The real median disposable income in Bulgaria has increased by at least 50% compared to 2010, compared to an EU average of 25.4%. The share of people who cannot heat their homes sufficiently decreased by 2.9 percentage points in 2025. Average life satisfaction increased from 5.4 in 2018 to 6.3 in 2025, but remains the lowest in the European Union with an average score of 7.2.
Sources: vesti.bg