A Study of the Economic System of Bulgaria

What is the economic system of Bulgaria? The economy of Bulgaria is based on a mixed economy. The country’s economic system combines elements of a market economy and a planned economy.

In Bulgaria, the economy comprises a private sector, consisting of individuals and businesses that make autonomous decisions based on self-interest, and a public sector, where the state determines the production and distribution of specific goods and services. No country is purely capitalist or purely communist.

What do the freedom indexes tell about the economic system of Bulgaria?

Now, to determine if a country is mostly a market economy or a planned economy, it is useful to examine some economic indexes. For instance, according to the 2026 Index of Economic Freedom, which measures the ability of every human to control his own labor and property, Bulgaria is ranked 38th globally and 22nd in Europe with a score of 68.9 out of 100, indicating that the country has a moderately free economy.

In a similar way, the Freedom House Freedom in the World 2026 report evaluates the state of political rights and civil liberties globally. Generally, market economies tend to align more with democracy and freedom, while command economies tend to be characterized by greater state control and fewer democratic and civil liberty protections. Bulgaria gets a score of 74/100, which qualifies it as Free. Bulgaria is a country where the government does not control what people do for political reasons, and people have the freedom to choose (what, how much, and how to produce, whether to buy or not, selling price, etc.)

The Link Between Public Sector Employment and the Economic System of Bulgaria

An indicator of the extent to which the State is involved in the economy is the number of public sector employees. In Bulgaria, according to ILOSTAT, the number of public sector employees as a percentage of the total workforce is 21.1% (2019). In the country’s mixed economy, the number of public sector employees as a percentage of the total workforce varies based on the specific policies and practices adopted by the State. Some economic activities are left to the private sector while others are under government control. The bigger the public sector the closer is the economy to being a command economy.

What does the biggest company in Bulgaria say about the country’s economic system?

The biggest company in Bulgaria should also be looked at, as well as whether it is a state-owned or private company. In this case, Lukoil Neftochim Burgas is the largest company in Bulgaria by revenue, reporting approximately €4.7 billion in turnover in 2024. It operates Bulgaria’s only oil refinery, located in Burgas on the Black Sea coast. As of November 2025, following the imposition of US sanctions on Russian oil entities, the Bulgarian government placed the company under external administration. It is a private company (originally owned by Russia’s Lukoil group), illustrating the role of large foreign-owned private enterprises in Bulgaria’s otherwise market-oriented economy.

The historical factors that have influenced the economic system of Bulgaria

The current mixed economy system of Bulgaria in the last century was caused by a combination of economic liberalization, foreign investment, and increased access to global markets. This allowed for increased economic growth and diversification, while still maintaining a social safety net for citizens. The result is a system that balances private and public sector involvement in the economy, providing both economic stability and opportunity for growth.

Sources

• List of countries by the public sector size
• ILOSTAT – Bulgaria country profile
• 2026 Index of Economic Freedom – Bulgaria
• Freedom in the World 2026 – Bulgaria
• Lukoil Neftochim Burgas

Last updated: June 20, 2026