History of Bulgaria in Timeline

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe, located on the eastern Balkans, south of the Danube River and west of the Black Sea. It's bordered by Greece, Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania. Covering 110,994 square kilometers, it's the sixteenth-largest country in Europe by area. Sofia is the capital and largest city, with other major cities including Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna.

1905: Historical High Fertility Rate

In 1905, Bulgaria had a historical high total fertility rate (TFR) of 5.83 children per woman.

October 1908: Bulgaria proclaimed itself an independent state

In October 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed itself an independent state.

1908: Bulgaria declared independence

In 1908, Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire, marking the formation of the third Bulgarian state.

1912: Involvement in the Balkan Wars

In 1912, Bulgaria became involved in the first of three consecutive conflicts which were two Balkan Wars and World War I.

1918: Capitulation in World War I

In 1918, Bulgaria capitulated, resulting in significant territorial losses and many soldiers killed, after being on the losing side in World War I.

1918: Start of Royal Authoritarian Dictatorship

In 1918, political unrest led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by Tsar Boris III.

1921: Death of Ivan Vazov

In 1921, Ivan Vazov, whose work bridged pre-Liberation literature with that of the newly established Bulgarian state, passed away.

October 1925: Incident at Petrich

In October 1925, the Incident at Petrich, a minor armed conflict known as "the War of the Stray Dog", occurred when Greece invaded Bulgaria after the killing of a Greek captain and sentry.

1929: Refugee Immigration

In 1929, more than 253,000 refugees had immigrated to Bulgaria from lost territories placing strain on the already ruined national economy.

1937: Women's Suffrage Enabled

In 1937, women's suffrage was enabled in Bulgaria, marking a significant step toward gender equality.

1941: Bulgaria entered World War II

In 1941, Bulgaria entered World War II as a member of the Axis powers but declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa.

1943: Sudden Death of Boris III

In mid-1943, the sudden death of Boris III pushed Bulgaria into political turmoil.

September 1944: Left-wing coup d'état

In September 1944, a left-wing coup d'état led to the abolition of the monarchy and the executions of some 1,000–3,000 dissidents, war criminals, and members of the former royal elite.

September 1944: USSR invasion and Fatherland Front took power

In September 1944, the USSR declared war and invaded Bulgaria after it did not comply with Soviet demands to expel German forces, resulting in the communist-dominated Fatherland Front taking power.

1946: Bulgaria came under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc

In 1946, Bulgaria became a socialist state under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc.

1946: One-party people's republic instituted

In 1946, a one-party people's republic was instituted in Bulgaria following a referendum.

1948: Largely Agricultural Country

In 1948, Bulgaria was a largely agricultural country with a predominantly rural population.

1949: Georgi Dimitrov leadership

In 1949, Bulgaria fell into the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov, who established a repressive, rapidly industrialising Stalinist state.

1954: Todor Zhivkov leadership

In 1954, experimental market-oriented policies started emerging under Todor Zhivkov within the Soviet-style planned economy of Bulgaria.

1955: Bulgaria Joins the United Nations

In 1955, Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations.

1960: Debt spike

In 1960, Bulgaria experienced a severe debt spike.

1966: Security Council Membership

In 1966, Bulgaria began its first term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

1971: Contributions to Space Exploration

Since 1971, Bulgaria has made numerous contributions to space exploration, including two scientific satellites and two cosmonauts.

1975: Founding Nation of OSCE

In 1975, Bulgaria was among the founding nations of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

1977: Debt spike

In 1977, Bulgaria experienced a severe debt spike.

1980: Debt spike

In 1980, Bulgaria experienced a severe debt spike.

1981: Nobel Prize in Literature

In 1981, Bulgarian-born Elias Canetti was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1984: Assimilation attempt of ethnic Turks

In 1984, Zhivkov's government forced the minority ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names in an attempt to erase their identity and assimilate them.

1987: Nine Provinces Administrative Structure

Between 1987 and 1999, the administrative structure of Bulgaria consisted of nine provinces (oblasti).

1987: Aspirations to Join European Communities

By 1987, the communist leadership in Bulgaria also had aspirations of leaving the Warsaw Pact and joining the European Communities.

1987: Women's High Jump World Record

In 1987, Stefka Kostadinova achieved a world record in women's high jump at the World Championships, which remained unbroken until 2024.

November 1989: End of Communist Party Monopoly

In November 1989, under the influence of the Revolutions of 1989, the Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly and Zhivkov resigned, marking the beginning of Bulgaria's transition to a parliamentary democracy.

1989: Post-Cold War Emigration Wave

In 1989, Bulgaria experienced the beginning of a demographic crisis, marked by negative population growth due to a post-Cold War economic collapse, which triggered a significant emigration wave.

1989: End of Todor Zhivkov's rule

In 1989, Todor Zhivkov's long rule came to an end.

1989: Communist Party lost monopoly on power

In 1989, after the revolutions, the ruling Communist Party of Bulgaria gave up its monopoly on power and allowed multiparty elections, initiating a transition to democracy.

1989: Wine Export Position Loss

Until 1989, Bulgaria was the world's second-largest wine exporter, but it subsequently lost that position.

June 1990: First free elections

In June 1990, the first free elections in Bulgaria were won by the Communist Party, rebranded as the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

1990: Drop in Cereal and Vegetable Output

Between 1990 and 2008, cereal and vegetable output in Bulgaria dropped by 40%.

1990: Underinvestment in Research

Chronic government underinvestment in research since 1990 has forced many professionals in science and engineering to leave Bulgaria.

1990: Kyoto Protocol Baseline

In 1990, carbon dioxide emissions were used as the baseline for Bulgaria's Kyoto Protocol objective.

1990: Forest Cover Extent

In 1990, forest cover in Bulgaria was around 3,327,000 hectares.

1990: Grammy Award

In 1990, the State Television Female Vocal Choir won a Grammy Award for its performances of Bulgarian folk music.

1990: Loss of COMECON Markets

In 1990, the loss of COMECON markets and the subsequent "shock therapy" of the planned system caused a steep decline in industrial and agricultural production in Bulgaria.

July 1991: Adoption of New Constitution

In July 1991, Bulgaria adopted a new constitution, providing for a relatively weak elected president and a prime minister accountable to the legislature.

1991: Adoption of Democratic Constitution

In 1991, Bulgaria adopted a democratic constitution, establishing a parliamentary republic composed of 28 provinces.

1994: FIFA World Cup Performance

In 1994, the Bulgarian national football team achieved its best performance, finishing 4th at the FIFA World Cup, with Hristo Stoichkov being the tournament's top goalscorer.

1997: Economic Collapse

In 1997, Bulgaria experienced an economic collapse.

1997: Lowest Fertility Rate

In 1997, Bulgaria recorded its all-time low total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.1 children per woman.

1998: Government Debt

In 1998, government debt in Bulgaria was 79.6%.

1998: Adoption of National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy

In 1998, the Bulgarian government adopted the National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy, a program to preserve local ecosystems, protect endangered species, and conserve genetic resources.

1998: Improvement of Water Quality

In 1998, water quality in Bulgaria began to improve, and has maintained a trend of moderate improvement since then.

1999: New Administrative Structure Adopted

In 1999, a new administrative structure was adopted in Bulgaria, including 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia City).

2001: Improvement of Conditions

After 2001, economic, political and geopolitical conditions improved greatly in Bulgaria.

2001: Irreligious Population

In 2001, 3.9% of Bulgarians identified as irreligious or unaffiliated with any religion.

2001: High Reading Scores

In 2001, Bulgarian students were among the highest-scoring in the world in reading, outperforming their Canadian and German counterparts.

2001: Foreign Troops on Bulgarian Soil

In 2001, the first deployment of foreign troops on Bulgarian soil since World War II occurred, with the country hosting six KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and 200 support personnel for the war effort in Afghanistan.

2002: Security Council Membership

In 2002, Bulgaria served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

2003: Balanced Budget Achieved

In 2003, Bulgaria achieved a balanced budget.

2003: High Human Development Status

In 2003, Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status.

2003: Security Council Membership

In 2003, Bulgaria served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

March 2004: Accession to NATO

In March 2004, Bulgaria expanded its international military relations with accession to NATO.

2004: NATO Membership

In 2004, Bulgaria became a member of NATO.

April 2005: EU Treaty of Accession Signed

On April 25, 2005, Bulgaria signed the European Union Treaty of Accession.

2005: Emigration numbers

By 2005, Bulgaria had seen the emigration of approximately 937,000 to 1,200,000 people, predominantly young adults, due to the economic downturn following the end of the Cold War.

April 2006: US-Bulgarian Defence Cooperation Agreement Signed

In April 2006, the US-Bulgarian Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed.

2006: Decline in Student Scores

By 2006, Bulgarian students' scores in reading, math, and science had dropped compared to their performance in 2001.

January 2007: Bulgaria Becomes EU Member

On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria became a full member of the European Union.

2007: EU Membership

In 2007, Bulgaria joined the European Union and the single market.

2008: Drop in Cereal and Vegetable Output

Between 1990 and 2008, cereal and vegetable output in Bulgaria dropped by 40%.

2008: Government Debt Reduced

By 2008, strong economic performance had reduced government debt in Bulgaria to 14.1%.

2008: Financial Crisis

In 2008, repercussions of the financial crisis impacted Bulgaria.

2009: Deterioration of Democratic Governance

After 2009, Freedom House reported a continuing deterioration of democratic governance in Bulgaria, citing reduced media independence, stalled reforms, abuse of authority, and increased dependence of local administrations on the central government.

2009: Achievement of Kyoto Protocol objective

By 2009, Bulgaria had achieved its Kyoto Protocol objective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30% from 1990 levels.

2009: GERB wins general election

In 2009, GERB won the general election in Bulgaria and formed a minority government.

2009: Contraction of GDP

In 2009, the financial crisis resulted in a 3.6% contraction of GDP and increased unemployment in Bulgaria.

2010: Positive Growth Restored

In 2010, positive growth was restored in Bulgaria.

2011: Muslim Religiousness Survey

In 2011, a survey of 850 Muslims in Bulgaria revealed that 30% self-identified as deeply religious and 50% as just religious, with varying levels of adherence to different Islamic teachings.

2011: Irreligious Population

In 2011, the percentage of Bulgarians who were irreligious or unaffiliated with any religion increased to 9.3%.

2012: Intercompany Debt Increased

By 2012, intercompany debt in Bulgaria had increased to $97 billion, or 227% of GDP.

February 2013: Resignation of government

In February 2013, the Bulgarian government resigned after nationwide protests over low living standards, corruption, and perceived failure of the democratic system.

July 2014: Oresharski government resignation

In July 2014, the Oresharski government in Bulgaria resigned amid continuing large-scale protests.

October 2014: Third GERB victory in elections

In October 2014, GERB secured a third victory in Bulgarian elections.

2014: Ludogorets UEFA Champions League

In 2014, Ludogorets advanced from the local fourth division to the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League group stage in nine years.

2015: Forest Area Ownership

In 2015, 88% of the forest area in Bulgaria was reported to be under public ownership, and 12% under private ownership.

2015: R&D Expenditures

In 2015, private businesses accounted for more than 73% of R&D expenditures and employed 42% of Bulgaria's 22,000 researchers.

2016: Resignation after presidential election failure

In 2016, Borisov resigned as Bulgarian prime minister after his party's candidate failed to win the presidential election.

2016: National PPP GDP

In 2016, Bulgaria's National PPP GDP was estimated at $143.1 billion, with a per capita value of $20,116.

2016: Wine Harvest

In 2016, the Bulgarian wine harvest yielded 128 million litres of wine, with 62 million litres exported mainly to Romania, Poland, and Russia.

2016: Biggest Grain Output

The 2016–2017 season registered the biggest grain output in a decade for Bulgaria.

March 2017: Snap Election Victory for GERB

In March 2017, GERB won the snap election in Bulgaria, securing 95 seats in Parliament.

2017: Public Contracts Spending

In 2017 alone, nearly 14 billion ($8.38 billion) were spent on public contracts in Bulgaria.

2017: Government Spending and Revenue

In 2017, Bulgaria's expenditures amounted to $21.15 billion and revenues were $21.67 billion.

2017: BulgariaSat-1 Launched

In 2017, Bulgaria's first geostationary communications satellite—BulgariaSat-1—was launched by SpaceX.

2017: Biggest Grain Output

The 2016–2017 season registered the biggest grain output in a decade for Bulgaria.

2018: Functional Illiteracy

By 2018, Programme for International Student Assessment studies found that 47% of pupils in the 9th grade in Bulgaria were functionally illiterate in reading and natural sciences.

2018: Presidency of the Council of the European Union

In 2018, Bulgaria hosted the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

2018: Global Gender Gap Report Ranking

In 2018, Bulgaria ranked 18th in the Global Gender Gap Report, indicating high gender equality.

2018: Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index Ranking

In 2018, Bulgaria was ranked last out of 56 countries in the Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index, highlighting issues within the healthcare system.

2018: Highest-Ranked Club in UEFA

In 2018, Ludogorets was ranked 39th, making it Bulgaria's highest-ranked club in UEFA.

2018: Elections Considered Unfair

In 2018, a survey by the Institute for Economics and Peace reported that less than 15% of respondents considered elections to be fair in Bulgaria.

2018: Yugozapaden Planning Area GDP

In 2018, the Yugozapaden planning area was the most developed region with a per capita gross domestic product (PPP) of $29,816.

2018: Fertility Rate in Bulgaria

In 2018, the average total fertility rate (TFR) in Bulgaria was 1.56 children per woman.

2019: Most Populated Urban Center

As of 2019, Sofia is the most populated urban centre with 1,241,675 people, followed by Plovdiv (346,893), Varna (336,505), Burgas (202,434) and Ruse (142,902).

2019: GDP per capita and cost of living

In 2019, GDP per capita (in PPS) and the cost of living in Bulgaria stood at 53 and 52.8% of the EU average (100%), respectively.

2020: Mass Protests

In 2020, Borisov's last cabinet saw a dramatic decrease in freedom of the press and a number of corruption revelations that triggered yet another wave of mass protests in Bulgaria.

2020: Internet Penetration

In 2020, Internet penetration in Bulgaria stood at 69.2% of the population aged 16–74 and 78.9% of households.

2020: Forest Cover Extent

In 2020, forest cover in Bulgaria was around 36% of the total land area, equivalent to 3,893,000 hectares.

April 2021: Bulgaria held fifth parliamentary election

In April 2021, Bulgaria began its streak of elections, and as of April 2023, it held its fifth election since then.

April 2021: GERB first in election

In April 2021, GERB came out first in the regular election, but with its weakest result so far in Bulgaria.

July 2021: Inability to Form Coalition

In July 2021, another election was held after the April election, but it too failed to break the stalemate, as no political party was able to form a coalition government in Bulgaria.

2021: Official Census

According to the last official census in 2021, the population of Bulgaria consisted of 6,519,789 people.

2021: Religious Denominations Census

According to the most recent census of 2021, the religious denominations of the population are: Christian (71.5%), Islam (10.8%), other religions (0.1%), with 12.4% being unaffiliated or not responding.

2021: Irreligious Population

By 2021, the percentage of Bulgarians who were irreligious or unaffiliated with any religion had risen to 15.9%.

2021: Boyko Borisov's terms as prime minister ended

In 2021, Boyko Borisov's terms as prime minister ended.

2021: Best European Country for Women to Work

In 2021, Bulgaria was ranked by Reboot Online as the best European country for women to work.

2022: Population Estimate

According to the government's official 2022 estimate, the population of Bulgaria consists of 6,447,710 people.

2022: Government Debt Increased

By 2022, government debt in Bulgaria had increased to 22.6% of GDP.

2022: Assistance to Ukraine

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bulgaria decided to assist Ukraine.

April 2023: Parliamentary Election

In April 2023, Bulgaria held its fifth parliamentary election since April 2021, due to political deadlock. GERB won 69 seats.

June 2023: New Coalition Government

In June 2023, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov formed a new coalition government between We Continue The Change and GERB in Bulgaria.

2023: Stopped Importing Russian Oil and Gas

In 2023, after Gazprom illegally stopped exporting gas to Bulgaria, the country in turn stopped importing Russian oil and gas.

2023: Population density

In 2023, the population density in Bulgaria is 55–60 per square kilometre

March 2024: Government Rotation Failure

In March 2024, Bulgaria experienced a failure in the planned government rotation, along with a breakdown in relations, leading to unsuccessful negotiations and attempts to form a new government.

April 2024: Presentation of Caretaker Government Proposal

In April 2024, Glavchev presented his proposal for the caretaker government, which was accepted by the President following negotiations in Bulgaria.

April 2024: Caretaker Prime Minister Appointed

In April 2024, the President of Bulgaria appointed Dimitar Glavchev as the candidate for caretaker prime minister, granting him a deadline to propose the composition of the caretaker government.

June 2024: Election Scheduled

In June 2024, elections were scheduled in Bulgaria.

November 2024: New Parliament Sworn In

In November 2024, the newly elected 51st Parliament replaced the 50th Parliament when all elected members were sworn in.

December 2024: Natalia Kiselova Elected as Speaker

On December 6, 2024, Natalia Kiselova (BSP–OL) was elected as speaker of the National Assembly after 11 voting rounds.

2024: Environmental Performance Index Ranking

In 2024, Bulgaria ranked 37th in the Environmental Performance Index, but scored low on air quality.

2024: Global Innovation Index Ranking

In 2024, Bulgaria was ranked 38th in the Global Innovation Index.

2024: Fertility Rate in Bulgaria

In 2024, the average total fertility rate (TFR) in Bulgaria was 1.59 children per woman, representing a slight increase from previous years, but still falling short of the population replacement rate.

2024: Stefka Kostadinova's World Record Broken

Stefka Kostadinova's world record in women's high jump, set in 1987, remained unbroken until 2024.

January 2025: Full Member of Schengen Area

In January 2025, Bulgaria officially became a full member of the Schengen Area.

January 2025: First Negotiation Mandate Granted

On January 15, 2025, President Rumen Radev granted the first negotiation mandate to the largest party GERB-SDS, which formed a minority government alongside BSP and ITN, with support from APS (Dogan).