Science funding rises sixfold, but Bulgaria still trails EU average

Budget funding for research and development (R&D) in Bulgaria has increased nearly sixfold over the past decade, according to Eurostat.

In 2025, the government allocated €92.3 per inhabitant to R&D, up from €15.5 in 2015 – an increase of 495.5%. Despite the sharp rise, Bulgaria remains well below the European Union average of €288.9 per person. The country's planned public R&D budget for 2025 amounts to €593.9 million, compared with €108.6 million a decade earlier.

Eurostat's data also show that Romania is the only EU member state where budget funding for research declined over the same period. The figures for 2025 are provisional and reflect planned budget allocations rather than actual expenditure.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova