Pension payments in Bulgaria vary dramatically depending on where you live. Men in Sofia receive an average of €767 in personal pensions for length of service and age, while women in Kardzhali are left with just €374. The figures come from the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) as of September 2026. The average pension for the country is €506 – €466 for women and €596 for men.

The gaps stem from insurable income, length of employment and the type of work people did over the years. The highest pensions are paid in areas where heavy industry, mining, energy production and better-paid manufacturing developed over decades. It was precisely in these sectors that social security contributions during people's working years were higher.

Right after the capital comes Pernik, where men receive an average of €732. The explanation lies in the region's industrial past – generations of Pernik workers spent their careers in coal mining and other jobs under specific labor conditions. The NSSI explains that, under the general rule, three years of first-category service or four years of second-category service count as five years of third-category service. More favorable ratios apply only in explicitly defined cases, not across all professions.

For women in Pernik, the picture is quite different – their average pension is around €464, close to the national average for women. This gender gap within the region shows just how strongly the sector, insurable income and accumulated service weigh on future pensions. Proximity to Sofia also plays a role, since wages there are among the highest in the country and many people from the Pernik area commute to the capital for work. The NSSI's own statistics show the payment amounts but do not point to a single cause for the differences between regions – the factors are usually intertwined.

A similar pattern can be seen in Vratsa, Kyustendil and Stara Zagora. In Vratsa, men receive an average of €605 – a high figure driven by well-paid jobs in the energy sector and the presence of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in the region. In Kyustendil, the average pension for men is around €645, while in Stara Zagora it reaches €655 – a region where energy production and coal mining have a long-standing presence and have traditionally provided higher incomes. For women in the Stara Zagora area, the figure is much lower – around €460, which again reflects the gender pay gap in these sectors.

Burgas and Varna also rank above the national average for men. In Burgas, the average personal pension for length of service and age for men is €666, while in Varna it is €667, whereas women in both regions receive an average of €481. Among the reasons for the higher figures are maritime transport, port operations, ship repair and other sectors where pay has traditionally been better. In Burgas, this is compounded by the large oil-refining industry, which for decades has provided jobs with high insurable incomes and has shaped the region's economic profile.

Plovdiv, however, doesn't follow this pattern, despite being one of the largest and most economically powerful regions in the country. The average personal pension for length of service and age there is €492 – below the national average of €506. Women in Plovdiv receive an average of €455, and men €577. The figures show that a large labor market alone does not guarantee higher pensions. The amount depends on each individual's specific insurable income and recognized length of service over their working life, not on the overall scale of the local economy.

At the bottom of the ranking is Kardzhali. The average personal pension for length of service and age for women in the region is €374, and for men €438. This places the region among those with the lowest pension payments in the country. By comparison, as of July 1, 2026, the minimum pension for length of service and age under the general rules is €347.51, according to official NSSI data. The explanation for the currently low levels in the Kardzhali area lies in the lower insurable incomes in some of the region's traditional industries. Smaller contributions paid over the years of employment are also a factor.

Alongside the differences in state pensions, the number of people switching their supplementary pension fund is also growing. According to data from the Financial Supervision Commission, in the second quarter of 2026 a total of 106,065 people actually transferred their money to another fund, after submitting 147,057 applications for a switch. In the first quarter of the year, 93,090 people switched funds – meaning an increase of 12,975 people, or 13.94%. The commission clarifies that this revised figure replaces the 12,875 people cited in the initial publication. For the first half of the year as a whole, the total number of insured individuals who transferred their funds from one fund to another of the same type reached 199,155.

The Financial Supervision Commission also indicates what share of people making such a switch represents relative to the average number of insured individuals in each type of fund. For universal pension funds, the share is 4.48%; for occupational funds, 3.50%; and for voluntary funds, just 0.09%. The data were submitted by pension insurance companies and published by the regulator on September 18, 2026. They come at a time when the second pension pillar is moving to a new model with different investment profiles, and the choice made by each insured person is becoming increasingly important for how their savings will be managed in the future.