Bulgaria has recorded one of the fastest increases in public funding for research and development in the European Union over the past decade, but the country remains far behind the EU average in terms of money allocated per person, according to preliminary Eurostat data.
In 2025, Bulgaria’s planned budget for research and development is expected to reach 593.9 million euros, compared with 108.6 million euros in 2015. This represents an increase of more than three times over a 10-year period and places Bulgaria among the EU countries with the strongest growth in science funding.
The increase is even more significant when measured per capita. Bulgaria’s R&D funding has risen from 15.5 euros per person in 2015 to 92.3 euros in 2025, representing growth of 495.5%, the highest percentage increase among EU member states.
Despite this sharp rise, Bulgaria continues to lag behind the European average. In 2025, EU countries are expected to allocate an average of 288.9 euros per person for research and development, more than three times Bulgaria’s level.
The figures show a contrast between rapid growth and a still modest starting position. Bulgaria has significantly expanded its science budget, but the country remains far from the leading EU economies in terms of available resources for research.
Across the European Union, total public R&D funding is expected to reach 130.2 billion euros in 2025, equal to 0.69% of the bloc’s GDP. This compares with 81.1 billion euros in 2015, an increase of 60.5% over the decade.
Bulgaria’s growth rate stands out against this background. Only a small number of EU countries, including Latvia, Slovenia and Lithuania, have recorded comparable increases in research budgets. Estonia and Poland have also more than doubled their funding over the same period.
In terms of spending per person, Bulgaria now ranks ahead of countries such as Romania, Hungary and Malta. However, the gap with Europe’s leading investors remains substantial. Luxembourg allocates 917.2 euros per person for R&D, followed by Denmark with 627.1 euros, Germany with 553.5 euros, Austria with 527.4 euros and the Netherlands with 513.4 euros.
The developments in Southeast Europe highlight a major difference between Bulgaria and Romania. While Bulgaria has increased per capita R&D funding almost sixfold over 10 years, Romania has moved in the opposite direction.
Romania is the only EU country where total public funding for research and development decreased between 2015 and 2025, falling by 13.1%. Its per capita funding also dropped from 20.8 euros to 18.8 euros, the lowest level in the EU.
As a result, Bulgaria’s R&D funding per person in 2025 is nearly five times higher than Romania’s, at 92.3 euros compared with 18.8 euros.
Bulgaria has also recorded one of the largest increases in the share of R&D funding compared with GDP, rising by 0.27 percentage points over the decade. Slovenia reported the strongest increase in this indicator, with growth of 0.50 percentage points.
Experts note that the low starting point is an important factor behind Bulgaria’s impressive percentage growth. In 2015, the country allocated only 15.5 euros per person for publicly funded research, meaning that even a significant increase still leaves it below Western European levels.
At the same time, the rise cannot be explained only by demographic changes, as the overall volume of funding also increased substantially, from 108.6 million euros to nearly 594 million euros.
At the EU level, the largest share of R&D budgets in 2025 is directed toward general knowledge development. Around 37.3% of funds are expected to support scientific research through general university funding, while another 18.4% will go toward knowledge development through other sources.
Other major areas include industrial production and technology, which receives 9.5% of funding, health research with 6.7%, defense with 5.8%, and space-related activities with 5.5%.
Health-related research funding in Bulgaria has also grown significantly, increasing sevenfold per person between 2015 and 2025. However, Eurostat notes that countries with lower initial levels can register very high percentage increases even when the absolute amounts remain relatively limited.
Overall, EU countries have expanded public support for science over the past decade, with total R&D budgets growing by 60.5% and per capita funding increasing by 57.7%, from 183.2 euros in 2015 to 288.9 euros in 2025.
The data show that Bulgaria has made one of the biggest advances in the EU in terms of growth rate, but the country still remains well below the European average. Its position reflects both a rapid expansion of science funding and the challenge of catching up with countries that have invested far more in research for many years.