In 2025, the poverty line for the country as a whole is 866.67 leva on average per month per person in a household, and 1,368,700 people or 21.2 percent of the country's population were below it. This is according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
Compared to the previous year, the size of the poverty line increases by 13.5 percent, and the relative share of the poor population decreases by 0.5 percentage points.
The social protection system is of essential importance for reducing poverty, the NSI indicates. The data for 2025 show that if pension income is included in household income, but other social transfers (benefits, social and family benefits and supplements) are excluded, the poverty rate increases from 21.2 to 29 percent, or by 7.8 percentage points. Accordingly, when pensions and other social transfers are excluded, the poverty rate increases to 45.4 percent, or by 24.2 percentage points.
The main factor increasing the risk of falling into the poor group for the majority of the population is their economic activity and their participation in the labor market. For the entire observation period, the relative share of the poor aged 18 and over is highest among the unemployed (55.1 percent in 2025), with the poverty risk among unemployed men being 5.8 percentage points higher than among unemployed women.
In 2025, the share of the poor among the employed in the age group 18-64 decreases by 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year - to 11.8 percent, with the risk of falling into poverty among part-time workers being approximately three times higher than that among full-time workers. The risk of poverty among working women is 2.2 percentage points lower than that among men.
Educational level has a significant impact on the risk of poverty among employed persons. The highest is the relative share of the working poor with primary education and no education - 47.2 per cent. With an increase in the level of education, the relative share of the poor among the working population decreases more than four times for those with secondary education. The share of the working poor with higher education is the lowest - 4.3 per cent.
In connection with the targets set in key areas in the “Europe 2030“ strategy, a combined indicator is calculated from the Income and Living Conditions Survey (EU-SILC) for regular monitoring of the progress of countries in implementing the national sub-targets. The indicator includes people living at risk of poverty, with material and social deprivation and in households of the unemployed or with low intensity of economic activity. Combining the three indicators shows that in 2025, 29 per cent of the population, or 1,868,900 people, were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The value of the indicator decreases by 1.3 percentage points compared to 2024, with the decrease for men being 1.4 percentage points and for women being 1.2 percentage points.