Bulgaria ranks 35th out of 40 countries in the 2026 Wealth of Nations Index (WNI) and remains the lowest-ranked EU Member State, the Institute for Market Economics (IME) said. The country scored 546 points, up 13 points from a year earlier, but remained in the same position.
IME said Bulgaria’s score has improved by 20% over the past 11 years, making it one of the fastest-improving countries, although the gap with the rest of the EU remains significant.
According to the institute, the quality of public spending remains among the weakest in the EU, dragged down by poor performance in the environment, healthcare and education. Defence and infrastructure are among Bulgaria’s stronger areas, while euro area and Schengen membership are expected to spur a new wave of investment.
The Wealth of Nations Index, compiled by the Warsaw Enterprise Institute in cooperation with 20 think tanks worldwide, measures economic performance and well-being by assessing both the private economy and the effectiveness of public spending across seven areas, including defence, security, infrastructure, healthcare and education.