Bulgaria's Interior Ministry faces staffing crisis as over 7,000 employees receive pension and salary

Data from the National Social Security Institute shows that 7,057 employees of the Ministry of Interior (MVR) receive both a state salary and a pension, representing more than 14% of its roughly 51,000‑person workforce. The breakdown includes 5,175 police, firefighters and other uniformed staff, 595 civil servants, and 1,287 contract workers.

Former interior ministers and security experts say about 16% of MVR personnel are pensioners who continue to work, and an additional 4,800 staff are recorded as having limited physical capacity (TELK). Vacancies affect another 10‑15% of posts, especially low‑paid positions.

Only about 10% of officers meet the required physical‑fitness standards; roughly 2,600 failed or missed the annual test last year. Experts estimate that around 30% of the force is affected by pensioners, limited‑capacity staff and vacancies, raising concerns about efficiency and the use of the Ministry’s 2.5 billion lev budget, of which 600‑700 million may be spent on ineffective personnel.