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 shares borders with Greece, Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania. Covering 110,994 square kilometers, it is the tenth-largest country in the European Union. Sofia is the capital and largest city, with other major cities including Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas.

1905: Historical High Fertility Rate

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

October 1908: Proclamation of Independence

On October 5, 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed itself an independent state, having incorporated the Ottoman territory of Eastern Rumelia in 1885 after a war against Serbia.

1908: Independence from the Ottoman Empire

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

1912: Involvement in Conflicts

In 1912, Bulgaria became involved in a series of conflicts, starting with the Balkan Wars.

1918: Capitulation in World War I

Despite military efforts, Bulgaria capitulated in 1918 during World War I, resulting in territorial losses and soldier deaths.

1918: Establishment of Royal Authoritarian Dictatorship

The political unrest resulting from World War I led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by Tsar Boris III in 1918.

1921: Death of Ivan Vazov

In 1921, Ivan Vazov, a prolific Bulgarian writer whose work covered every genre and touched upon every facet of Bulgarian society, passed away.

1929: Refugee Immigration

From 1912 to 1929, Bulgaria received over 253,000 refugees from lost territories, straining the national economy.

1937: Women's Suffrage Enabled

In 1937, women's suffrage was enabled in Bulgaria, relatively late compared to other nations.

1941: Entry into World War II

In 1941, Bulgaria entered World War II as a member of the Axis powers.

1943: Death of Boris III

The sudden death of Boris III in mid-1943 pushed Bulgaria into political turmoil.

September 1944: Soviet Invasion and Fatherland Front Takes Power

In September 1944, the USSR declared war and invaded Bulgaria after the country failed to comply with demands to expel German forces, leading to the communist-dominated Fatherland Front taking power.

September 1944: Left-Wing Coup d'état

The left-wing coup d'état of September 1944 resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and executions of dissidents.

1946: Bulgaria under the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc

In 1946, Bulgaria came under the influence of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc, transitioning into a socialist state.

1946: Establishment of One-Party People's Republic

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

1949: Leadership of Georgi Dimitrov

From 1946 to 1949, Bulgaria fell under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov, who established a Stalinist state.

1954: Leadership of Todor Zhivkov

From 1954 to 1989, Bulgaria saw some market-oriented policies emerge under Todor Zhivkov.

1960: Debt Spikes

In 1960, Bulgaria experienced severe debt spikes.

1977: Debt Spikes

In 1977, Bulgaria experienced severe debt spikes.

1980: Debt Spikes

In 1980, Bulgaria experienced severe debt spikes.

1981: Elias Canetti Nobel Prize

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

1984: Assimilation Policies Against Ethnic Turks

In 1984, Zhivkov's government forced ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names.

1987: Stefka Kostadinova's 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: Communist Party Loses Monopoly

On November 10, 1989, under the influence of the Revolutions of 1989, the Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly.

1989: End of Communist Monopoly

Following the Revolutions of 1989, the ruling Communist Party relinquished its monopoly on power, paving the way for multiparty elections and Bulgaria's transition to a democracy.

1989: Post-Cold War Emigration Wave

In 1989, Bulgaria experienced the start of negative population growth due to a post-Cold War economic collapse, which triggered a long-lasting emigration wave.

1989: Resignation of Zhivkov

In 1989, Zhivkov resigned, and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy.

1989: Wine Export Position

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

June 1990: First Free Elections

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

1990: Forest Cover in Hectares

In 1990, Bulgaria had 3,327,000 hectares (ha) of forest cover.

1990: Grammy Award for State Television Female Vocal Choir

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

July 1991: Adoption of New Constitution

In July 1991, a new constitution was adopted, 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 itself as a parliamentary republic.

1994: FIFA World Cup Performance

In 1994, the Bulgarian national football team achieved its best performance with a 4th-place finish at the FIFA World Cup.

1997: All-Time Low Fertility Rate

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

1998: Adoption of the National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy

In 1998, the Bulgarian government adopted the National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy.

1998: Improvement in Water Quality

Water quality in Bulgaria began to improve in 1998.

2001: Improvement of Conditions

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

2001: Irreligious Population

In 2001, 3.9% of Bulgarians were either 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 Canadian and German students.

2003: Achievement of High Human Development Status

In 2003, Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status.

2004: Membership in NATO

In 2004, Bulgaria became a member of NATO and participated in the War in Afghanistan.

2005: Emigration Figures

By 2005, the long-lasting emigration wave that started in 1989 had caused an estimated 937,000 to 1,200,000 people, mostly young adults, to leave Bulgaria.

2006: Decline in Educational Scores

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

2007: Membership in the European Union

In 2007, after several years of reforms, Bulgaria joined the European Union and the single market, despite EU concerns over government corruption.

2009: Kyoto Protocol Objective Achieved

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

2009: GERB Wins General Election

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

2011: Survey of Muslims in Bulgaria

A 2011 survey of 850 Muslims in Bulgaria found that 30% considered themselves "deeply religious" and 50% as just "religious".

2011: Increase in Irreligious Population

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

February 2013: Resignation of Government

In February 2013, the minority government resigned after nationwide protests.

July 2014: Resignation of Oresharski Government

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

October 2014: GERB Victory in Elections

In October 2014, GERB won the elections again, leading to Borisov forming a coalition.

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 Ownership

For the year 2015, 88% of Bulgaria's forest area was reported to be under public ownership and 12% under private ownership.

2016: Presidential Election

In 2016, Borisov resigned after his party's candidate failed to win the Presidential election.

2016: Wine Harvest and Export

In 2016, Bulgaria's wine harvest yielded 128 million litres of wine, of which 62 million was exported mainly to Romania, Poland and Russia.

March 2017: Snap Election

The March 2017 snap election was won by GERB.

2018: Functionally Illiterate Pupils

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

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 Ranking

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

2018: Fertility Rate

In 2018, Bulgaria's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.56 children per woman, an increase from the all-time low, but still below replacement rate.

2018: Highest Ranked Club in UEFA

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

2018: Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index Ranking

In 2018, the Bloomberg Health Care Efficiency Index ranked Bulgaria last out of 56 countries.

2020: Mass Protests

In 2020, Borisov's last cabinet saw a decrease in freedom of the press, leading to mass protests.

April 2021: Fifth Parliamentary Election

Due to the political deadlock, Bulgaria held its fifth parliamentary election since April 2021 in April 2023.

April 2021: April 2021 Election

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

July 2021: July 2021 Election

In July 2021, another election was held after a brief deadlock, but it failed to break the stalemate.

2021: Religious Denominations Census

According to the most recent census of 2021, the religious denominations of the Bulgarian population are: Christian (71.5%), Muslim (10.8%), other religions (0.1%). A further 12.4% were unaffiliated or did not respond.

2021: Borisov's Third Term as Prime Minister

Boyko Borisov, leader of GERB, served three terms as prime minister between 2009 and 2021.

2021: Further Increase in Irreligious Population

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

2021: Best European Country for Women to Work

In 2021, market research agency Reboot Online ranked Bulgaria as the best European country for women to work.

April 2023: Parliamentary Election

In April 2023, Bulgaria held its fifth parliamentary election since April 2021. GERB won 69 seats, and the bloc led by We Continue the Change won 64 seats.

June 2023: New Coalition Formed

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

March 2024: Government Rotation Fails

On March 20, 2024, the planned government rotation and signing of a renewed government failed due to disagreements, which led to a breakdown of relations.

April 2024: Acceptance of Caretaker Government Proposal

On April 5, 2024, Glavchev presented his proposal for the caretaker government, which was accepted by the President. Glavchev and his cabinet were inaugurated on April 9, 2024.

April 2024: Appointment of Caretaker Prime Minister

On March 29, in accordance with Article 98 of the constitution, the President appointed Dimitar Glavchev, Chairman of the National Audit Office, as the candidate for caretaker prime minister, with a deadline until April 6, 2024, to propose the caretaker government's composition.

June 2024: Scheduling of Election

In April 2024, following negotiations, the election was scheduled for June 9, 2024.

November 2024: Swearing-In of Parliament Members

On November 11, 2024, the newly elected 51st Parliament replaced the 50th Parliament as all elected members were sworn in.

December 2024: Election of Speaker of the National Assembly

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

2024: Environmental Performance Index Ranking

In 2024, Bulgaria ranked 37th in the Environmental Performance Index.

2024: End of High Jump Record

In 2024, Stefka Kostadinova's 1987 world record in women's high jump, which had stood for many years, was broken.

2024: Fertility Rate Increase

In 2024, the average total fertility rate (TFR) in Bulgaria was 1.59 children per woman, a slight increase from 1.56 in 2018.

January 2025: Formation of Minority Government

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). The government is led by GERB politician Rosen Zhelyazkov.

2025: Weightlifting Championship Ranking

As of 2025, Bulgaria ranks 2nd in the all-time medal table of the European Weightlifting Championships.

January 2026: Resignation of Radev

In January 2026, Radev resigned ahead of Bulgaria's eighth national election in five years, and was succeeded by Iliana Iotova, who became the first female President of Bulgaria.