Bulgaria unemployment rate falls to 3.5% in Q2 2026

Data from the National Statistical Institute for the second quarter of 2026 shows Bulgaria's unemployment rate at 3.5%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2025. The total number of unemployed persons is 107,100, consisting of 65,200 men and 41,900 women.

Of the unemployed, 45,000 individuals, or 42.0%, are classified as long-term unemployed, having been without work for one year or more. The unemployment rate for the 15–29 age group stands at 8.1%, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than in the same quarter of the previous year.

The employment rate for the population aged 15–64 is 70.5%, reflecting a 0.5 percentage point decrease from the second quarter of 2025. The total number of employed persons is 2,917,900. The service sector remains the largest employer, accounting for 1,951,600 people (66.9% of the employed), followed by industry with 816,200 (28.0%) and agriculture, forestry, and fishing with 150,000 (5.1%).