Bulgaria vs Romania: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income

Bulgaria
14.6%
in 2023
Romania
14.7%
in 2023
Bulgaria rank
36th
Romania rank
34th

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time

  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
5101520198920062023

How they compare

Romania currently reports 14.7% against 14.6% in Bulgaria, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1989 it was Romania ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 36th and Romania ranks 34th of 130 countries.

Romania has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bulgaria Romania Difference Ahead
1980s 4.8% 7.6% 2.8% Romania
1990s 7.2% 10.0% 2.8% Romania
2000s 12.9% 15.3% 2.4% Romania
2010s 15.2% 19.2% 4.0% Romania
2020s 13.6% 16.8% 3.2% Romania

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Bulgaria or Romania?
Romania, at 14.7% against 14.6% in Bulgaria as of 2023.
What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Bulgaria and Romania?
0.1%, with Romania ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Romania?
25 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
How do Bulgaria and Romania rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
Bulgaria ranks 36th and Romania ranks 34th of 130 countries.
Where does this data come from?
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bulgaria vs Romania: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/bulgaria/romania/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed