Internet penetration history · BGR

Bulgaria internet penetration over time

Name: Bulgaria internet use history
Creator: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The latest verified observation is 82.4% in 2024. The available series begins at 0% in 1990, a net change of 82.4 percentage points.

33 VERIFIED OBSERVATIONS · ITU VIA WDI

Quick answers

LATEST

82.4%

Internet penetration in Bulgaria in 2024, the latest available observation in this series.

LONG-TERM CHANGE

+82.4 pp

Change between the first available observation in 1990 and the latest in 2024.

RECENT CONTEXT

+14.5 pp

From 2019 to 2024, the observed rate changed by 14.5 percentage points, from 67.9% to 82.4%.

The first observation at or above 50% is 2012 (51.9%). The first observation at or above 75% is 2021 (75.3%).

Historical trend

Each point is an official observation returned by World Bank WDI for IT.NET.USER.ZS. Lines connect observed points for readability; they do not create data for missing years.

Year-by-year internet penetration

Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — Bulgaria
Year	Internet users
2024	82.4%
2023	80.4%
2022	79.1%
2021	75.3%
2020	70.2%
2019	67.9%
2018	64.8%
2017	63.4%
2016	59.8%
2015	56.7%
2014	55.5%
2013	53.1%
2012	51.9%
2011	48%
2010	46.2%
2009	45%
2008	39.7%
2007	33.6%
2006	27.1%
2005	20%
2004	18.1%
2003	12%
2002	9.1%
2001	7.6%
2000	5.4%
1999	2.9%
1998	1.8%
1997	1.2%
1996	0.7%
1995	0.1%
1994	0%
1993	0%
1990	0%

Download historical JSON → · Download historical CSV → · Compare countries →

What this measure means

On World Discovery, “internet penetration rate” and “internet users” both refer to the share of individuals who used the internet, matching World Development Indicators code IT.NET.USER.ZS. It is a population-use measure; it is not the same as fixed-broadband subscriptions, mobile subscriptions, connection speed or household access.

Compare internet users by country and year → · Explore the 2024 internet-use ranking →

Internet penetration here means individuals using the internet (% of population). It is reported as % of population. The indicator definition is: Individuals who have used the Internet from any location in the last 3 months.

This series is useful for questions such as “How has internet access changed in Bulgaria?” and “What is Bulgaria’s latest internet penetration rate?” It does not estimate people missing from the official observations.

Compare Bulgaria with similar regional rates

These Europe & Central Asia countries have the closest latest observed internet-penetration rates in the same verified history dataset. The links are based on data proximity, not a claim of social or economic similarity.

UKR

Ukraine

82.5% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Bulgaria.

ARM

Armenia

81.3% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Bulgaria.

HRV

Croatia

83.6% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Bulgaria.

GEO

Georgia

83.8% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Bulgaria.

Explore the regional comparison →

Bulgaria in Europe & Central Asia

Among the 51 countries from Europe & Central Asia present in this verified 2024 dataset, Bulgaria ranks 48th. Its 82.4% observation is 9.6 percentage points below the regional median of 92%. This comparison only describes countries present in this same-year dataset.

Closest same-region observations: Ukraine (82.5%) · Armenia (81.3%) · Croatia (83.6%).

Source and methodology

Indicator: IT.NET.USER.ZS — Individuals using the Internet (% of population).

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, surfaced through World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), Indicators API v2. License: CC BY-4.0.

Values are kept at their official observation years. Missing years are not backfilled, averaged or interpolated. This page is a historical observation series, not a revision comparison.

World Bank API source → · Indicator metadata →

Keep exploring

Countries to compare with Bulgaria

Move through the 2024 ranking or compare Bulgaria with nearby values in Europe & Central Asia.

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