Prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Prison capacity and number of persons held was 8,040 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria, 2008–2024
Source: Eurostat.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria is 8,040, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria peaked at 9,885 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 7,408, in 2015.
That places Bulgaria 17th out of 37 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9,408 | — |
| 2009 | 9,006 | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 9,379 | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 9,885 | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 9,493 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 8,834 | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 7,870 | -10.9% |
| 2015 | 7,408 | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 8,491 | +14.6% |
| 2017 | 8,491 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8,241 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 8,105 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 8,161 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 8,105 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 8,161 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 8,161 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8,040 | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9,207 | 9,006 | 9,408 | 2 |
| 2010s | 8,620 | 7,408 | 9,885 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,126 | 8,040 | 8,161 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More urban development data for Bulgaria
- Population in the largest city 27.0% (2025)
- Population density 59.38 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 19.68 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.29 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 11.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.29 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.15 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria?
- Prison capacity and number of persons held in Bulgaria was 8,040 in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 9,885 in 2011.
- What is the lowest prison capacity and number of persons held recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,408 in 2015.
- How does Bulgaria rank for prison capacity and number of persons held?
- Bulgaria ranks 17th out of 37 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prison capacity and number of persons held rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Prison capacity and number of persons held. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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