In 2025, 42.4% of people in Bulgaria could not pay an unexpected expense, Eurostat data show. That puts Bulgaria third in the EU. It was first in 2023 and 2024.
Only Greece, at 50.5%, and Latvia, at 43.7%, had higher shares. The EU average is 29.2%, down from 30% a year earlier. The Netherlands has the lowest share at 15.3%, while Malta and Czechia are each at 18.7%.
Eurostat says the ability to pay an unexpected bill is one measure of economic security. Another aspect of quality of life is physical security, including protection from crime and violence.
Among women who live alone, 63.1% cannot cover such an expense, against 48.7% of men. In households with one adult the share is 57.1%, and it reaches 60% when that adult also supports children.
This is Bulgaria's second fall in a row: the share dropped from 46.7% in 2023 to 45.6% in 2024.
Over the past 10 years, the figure in Bulgaria has swung widely. In 2016 it was 54.2%, and Eurostat marked that year as a break in the time series. It was 53.2% a year later, fell to 32.1% in 2018 and rose to 36.5% in 2019. It climbed to 43.5% in 2020 and was 36.4% in 2021, then rose for two years in a row.