Bulgaria is ranked 25th in the world for competitiveness in the field of outsourcing, placing the country in the top 13% of the 195 countries surveyed, according to the 2026 Global Outsourcing Talent Index report published on 26 March. The index was compiled by Ataraxis, a virtual platform for searching for remote employees by fast-growing companies which provided the publication to BTA. The country is classified in the report as an emerging leader.
Bulgaria's leading competitive advantage, according to the report, continues to be labour costs, relative to those in Western Europe and proficiency in English among the population, thanks to which the country manages to stand out even compared to economies with more favourable labour costs in the field of outsourced services.
Bulgaria is ahead of traditionally established countries in the field such as Czechia (27th position), the United Kingdom (29th position) and Portugal (30th position).
In addition to Bulgaria, three other European Union member states from the Central and Eastern European region fall into this category. These are Romania (10th position), Poland (14th position) and Hungary (21st position). The report highlights that Romania and Poland are also the only two European economies that are in the Top 20 in the world in terms of competitiveness of outsourced services. Furthermore, Romania is the only country that represents Europe in the top ten.
The Ataraxis Global Outsourcing Talent Index rates countries on five key factors that influence global hiring – labor costs, English proficiency, talent availability, digital infrastructure, and business, legal, and political stability. Each country is given a score from 0 to 100 for each factor, weighted according to its importance in hiring decisions.