Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death was 4.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria, 1964–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria is 4.5%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 37.0% on the previous year and up 53.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria peaked at 8.5% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2007.
That places Bulgaria 52nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 5.8% | — |
| 1965 | 6.2% | +7.2% |
| 1966 | 5.6% | -9.2% |
| 1967 | 5.6% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 5.1% | -9.6% |
| 1969 | 5.2% | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 5.0% | -4.7% |
| 1971 | 5.4% | +9.3% |
| 1972 | 5.8% | +6.6% |
| 1973 | 5.9% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | +7.8% |
| 1975 | 6.4% | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 6.1% | -4.3% |
| 1977 | 6.3% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 5.8% | -8.2% |
| 1979 | 5.7% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 8.5% | +48.2% |
| 1981 | 5.4% | -36.4% |
| 1982 | 5.9% | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | -27.7% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -32.1% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +31.8% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +8.6% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | -4.3% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | +22.6% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | +9.4% |
| 1992 | 5.7% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 4.4% | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 4.3% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 4.7% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | -11.4% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -34.7% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -15.8% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +11.9% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -10.1% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +12.6% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +12.3% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 4.3% | +22.9% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | -13.1% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | +37.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 6.2% | 6 |
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.0% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 3.0% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 2.5% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 49 Brazil 5.1% compare
- 50 Luxembourg 4.6% compare
- 51 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4.6% compare
- 53 Philippines 4.4% compare
- 54 Ukraine 4.2% compare
- 55 Syrian Arab Republic 4.2% compare
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 65-69, male, annual growth rate -0.3459 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0285 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.0343 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria?
- Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Bulgaria was 4.5% in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2007.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death?
- Bulgaria ranks 52nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of total reported deaths in both sexes in those aged all ages that are from ill-defined diseases.