Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of births attended by skilled health staff was 94.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria, 1989–2021
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 94.5% for share of births attended by skilled health staff in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria peaked at 99.9% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 92.3%, in 2019.
That places Bulgaria 113th out of 169 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 99.3% | — |
| 1990 | 99.1% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 99.5% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 99.8% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 99.0% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 99.9% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 99.0% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 99.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 98.9% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 99.2% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.4% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 93.4% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 95.1% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 93.9% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 93.0% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 92.3% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 94.6% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 94.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 99.4% | 98.9% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.4% | 98.9% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.8% | 92.3% | 99.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 94.5% | 94.5% | 94.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More health data for Bulgaria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.5 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.615 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,422 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 39 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0336 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0166 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 88 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria?
- Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Bulgaria was 94.5% in 2021, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.3% in 2019.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of births attended by skilled health staff?
- Bulgaria ranks 113th out of 169 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Skilled health staff refers to professionals trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.