Development Co‑operation Profiles: Bulgaria
Table of contents
Bulgaria has been a provider of development co-operation since joining the European Union (EU) in 2007, and development co-operation is an integral part of its foreign policy. Bulgaria’s objectives for development co-operation are guided by its multilateral commitments to be a consistent, reliable and predictable partner in the fight against poverty and in promoting sustainable development globally in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa and in support of its neighbouring countries, including by sharing its own experience in sustainable development. Bulgaria’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 136.8 million, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.12% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on Bulgaria’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Decree No. 234/2011 defines the goals, principles (including partnership, affiliation, concentration, effectiveness, transparency and non-discrimination), mechanisms and institutional framework of Bulgaria’s development co-operation and humanitarian aid. It also provides guidelines for planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and auditing Bulgaria’s development co‑operation. Bulgaria develops medium-term programmes for its development co-operation and humanitarian aid detailing priorities, financial allocations and expected outcomes.
The Mid-Term Programme for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid 2025-2030 is the current policy framework for Bulgaria’s development co-operation. Its geographic priorities for bilateral assistance are focused on the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region, and include also several countries from the Middle East and North Africa (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia), Sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Ethiopia, Namibia, Nigeria) and Asia (Mongolia and Vietnam). The thematic priority areas include, among others, healthcare, education, capacity building, and economic growth. Cross-cutting priorities are equality between men and women and empowerment of all women and girls, actions to protect the environment and combat climate change, and the protection and promotion of the rights of children and youth.
At the multilateral level, Bulgaria contributes to development initiatives through the European Union, the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank, as well as through development funds. Bulgaria also engages with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the context of its accession process.
Bulgaria provided USD 136.8 million (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 125.1 million in constant terms), representing 0.12% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 13.3% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. Bulgaria is not in line with its domestic EU commitment (0.33% by 2030) and international commitments to achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Total ODA on a grant-equivalent basis has the same value as net ODA under the cash-flow methodology used in the past, as Bulgaria provides only grants.
Bulgaria’s ODA is mainly channelled multilaterally, mostly through the EU. Its bilateral ODA allocations are concentrated in its neighbourhoods, with in-donor refugee costs representing half of Bulgaria’s bilateral ODA in 2024. Bulgaria had the highest share of gross bilateral ODA allocated to in-donor refugee costs among other official providers beyond the DAC in 2024.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Bulgaria provided by far the largest share of its ODA multilaterally in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 6.4% of total ODA disbursements. Of this, 43.9% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, Bulgaria provided USD 139 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 9.7% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 134.9 million was core multilateral ODA (93.6% of total ODA), while USD 4.1 million was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 1.2% of Bulgaria’s non-core contributions, and 98.8% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The United Nations (UN) system received 2% of Bulgaria’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 500 thousand (18.3%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 2.7 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Bulgaria’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the UN Secretariat (USD 900 thousand), the World Health Organization (USD 300 thousand) and Food and Agricultural Organization (USD 200 thousand).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
In 2024, Bulgaria’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 9.3 million of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 68.2% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 5.2 million, or 55.5% of Bulgaria’s gross bilateral ODA.
Bulgaria’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 3 million (32.5% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 800 thousand, or 8.9% of gross bilateral ODA.
In 2024, Bulgaria channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through public sector and NGOs.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 1.1 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 61.8% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 1.7% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 9.6% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the provider (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs increased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 3.1% to 11.3%. Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2024, Bulgaria’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on ODA-eligible countries in Europe. USD 5 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 77.1% for Ukraine) and USD 500 thousand to the Middle East, accounting respectively for 54.1% and 5.1% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 400 thousand was allocated to Asia (excluding the Middle East). Europe was also the main regional recipient of Bulgaria’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. This is partially in line with Bulgaria’s regional development co-operation priorities.
In 2024, 57.2% of gross bilateral ODA went to Bulgaria’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients are in Europe and the Middle East. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 37.8%, of which 86% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, Bulgaria allocated 0.02% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Bulgaria allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (45.7%) to lower middle-income countries in 2024, noting that 37.8% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 0.9% of Bulgaria’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 100 thousand). Additionally, Bulgaria allocated 7.3% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 700 thousand.
The distribution of Bulgaria’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 0.2 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 0.3 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2025, Bulgaria provided USD 4 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, a 4.8% decrease from 2024 in real terms. USD 200 thousand of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, an 80.3% increase in real terms from 2024.
In 2024, under half of Bulgaria’s bilateral ODA was allocated to refugees in donor countries (under other sectors), amounting to USD 3 million. Other investments under other sectors included general budget support (USD 3.4 million). ODA for social infrastructure and services totalled USD 1.5 million, with a focus on government and civil society (USD 600 thousand). Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 800 thousand (8.9% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on production sectors and other sectors in 2024.
In 2024, Bulgaria committed USD 400 thousand (6.8%% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by Bulgaria as TOSSD totalled USD 148.1 million, marking a 20% decrease compared with the previous year. Bulgaria’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 1 (no poverty). Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular the Cooperation for Development Department in the Foreign Economic Relations and Development Cooperation Directorate, leads and co-ordinates Bulgaria’s development co-operation activities. In co-operation with line ministries, it elaborates ODA policies and annual action plans and negotiates agreements with partner countries. In addition, the inter-institutional International Development Cooperation Council, a consultative body created in 2007, assists the Minister of Foreign Affairs in programming and promoting Bulgaria’s development co-operation.
CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co‑ordinate under the umbrella body, the Bulgarian Platform for International Development.
Access the full list of providers of development co-operation at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Bulgaria’s Mid-Term Programme for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid 2025-2030: https://www.mfa.bg/bg/3863 (in Bulgarian).
Bulgaria’s Decree No. 234/2011 on Bulgaria’s Policy on Participating in International Development Co‑operation: https://legislation.apis.bg/doc/491220/0#46674618.
Bulgarian Platform for International Development: https://bpid.eu/en.
Bulgaria has been an OECD Accession candidate since 2022. On 25 January 2022, the OECD Council decided to open accession discussions with Bulgaria and five other countries, taking into account the criteria of like-mindedness, significant player, mutual benefit and global considerations and recognising these countries’ progress toward fulfilling the criteria outlined in the Framework for Consideration of Prospective Members.
Bulgaria has been a Participant of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 2018.
Bulgaria has been reporting to the OECD at aggregate level since 2010 and at activity level since 2023 on 2022 activities.
Bulgaria is an adherent to the OECD Recommendation of the Council for Development Co-operation Actors on Managing the Risk of Corruption; the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas; the OECD Declaration on Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Co-operation; the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions; and the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Foreign Direct Investment Qualities for Sustainable Development. Learn more about OECD legal instruments and DAC Recommendations.
Bulgaria participated in the 2025 DAC High Level Meeting.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.