Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Share of births outside marriage was 59.6 in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
59.6
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
6th
of 42 countries
All-time high
59.6
in 2020
All-time low
8
in 1960
Years of data
61
1960–2020

Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria, 1960–2020

0204060196019902020

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 59.6 for share of births outside marriage in 2020. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria peaked at 59.6 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8, in 1960.

Bulgaria ranks 6th of 42 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria, 1960 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1960 8
1961 8 +0.0%
1962 8.1 +1.2%
1963 8.4 +3.7%
1964 8.8 +4.8%
1965 9.4 +6.8%
1966 9.6 +2.1%
1967 9.7 +1.0%
1968 9.6 -1.0%
1969 9.2 -4.2%
1970 8.5 -7.6%
1971 9.6 +12.9%
1972 9.9 +3.1%
1973 10.7 +8.1%
1974 9.6 -10.3%
1975 9.3 -3.1%
1976 9.5 +2.2%
1977 9.8 +3.2%
1978 9.9 +1.0%
1979 10.6 +7.1%
1980 10.9 +2.8%
1981 10.3 -5.5%
1982 11.4 +10.7%
1983 11.3 -0.9%
1984 11.4 +0.9%
1985 11.7 +2.6%
1986 10.9 -6.8%
1987 10.8 -0.9%
1988 11 +1.9%
1989 11.4 +3.6%
1990 12.4 +8.8%
1991 15.5 +25.0%
1992 18.5 +19.4%
1993 22.1 +19.5%
1994 24.5 +10.9%
1995 25.7 +4.9%
1996 28.1 +9.3%
1997 30 +6.8%
1998 31.5 +5.0%
1999 35.1 +11.4%
2000 38.4 +9.4%
2001 42 +9.4%
2002 42.8 +1.9%
2003 46.1 +7.7%
2004 48.7 +5.6%
2005 49 +0.6%
2006 50.8 +3.7%
2007 50.2 -1.2%
2008 51.1 +1.8%
2009 53.4 +4.5%
2010 54.1 +1.3%
2011 56.1 +3.7%
2012 57.4 +2.3%
2013 59.1 +3.0%
2014 58.8 -0.5%
2015 58.6 -0.3%
2016 58.6 +0.0%
2017 58.9 +0.5%
2018 58.5 -0.7%
2019 58.4 -0.2%
2020 59.6 +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 8.88 8 9.7 10
1970s 9.74 8.5 10.7 10
1980s 11.11 10.3 11.7 10
1990s 24.34 12.4 35.1 10
2000s 47.25 38.4 53.4 10
2010s 57.85 54.1 59.1 10
2020s 59.6 59.6 59.6 1

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 3 Mexico 70.43 compare
  2. 4 Iceland 69.4 compare
  3. 5 France 62.2 compare
  4. 7 Norway 58.5 compare
  5. 8 Portugal 57.9 compare
  6. 9 Slovenia 56.5 compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More population data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria?
Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria was 59.6 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 59.6 in 2020.
What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 8 in 1960.
How does Bulgaria rank for share of births outside marriage?
Bulgaria ranks 6th out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of births outside marriage in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-births-outside-marriage/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of births outside marriage
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed