Foreign aid
How much aid does Bulgaria give abroad?
In 2024, Bulgaria gave € 133.3 million in development and humanitarian aid. That is about € 21 per inhabitant. 94% of it went through international organisations, such as the UN, the World Bank and the EU.
Good to know (click to read)
- This is official development assistance as countries report it to the OECD: grants and cheap loans for development and humanitarian aid. Military aid is not included.
- These are the amounts actually paid out in a year, not promises. The OECD counts in dollars; we convert to euro at that year’s average rate.
- Part of every EU country’s money goes through the EU. So do not add up a country’s figures and the EU’s: you would count that part twice.
- Figures for the latest year are sometimes still provisional.
Per year
Development and humanitarian aid in total, in euro of that year.
Which countries received the most in 2024?
-
Ukraine € 3.6 million
-
North Macedonia € 280,000
-
Palestinian Territories € 200,000
-
Serbia € 182,000
-
Moldova € 155,000
-
Bosnia & Herzegovina € 130,000
-
Lebanon € 130,000
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Georgia € 90,000
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Armenia € 89,000
-
Mongolia € 73,000
Only what went directly to a country. Money through international organisations is not included here.
Through which organisations in 2024?
- European Commission [EC] € 111.9 million
- International Monetary Fund [IMF] € 6.1 million
- European Development Fund [EDF] € 3.3 million
- Other UN € 2 million
- Other Multilateral € 1.4 million
- UNFPA € 60,000
- UNICEF € 19,000
- UNHCR € 14,000
In focus: Ukraine
| Year | Development aid Bulgaria | EU development aid | All EU spending there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | € 175,000 | € 1.4 billion | – |
| 2021 | € 220,000 | € 998.4 million | – |
| 2022 | € 1.1 million | € 10.1 billion | € 1.8 billion |
| 2023 | € 195,000 | € 19 billion | € 785.8 million |
| 2024 | € 3.6 million | € 17.5 billion | € 3.6 billion |
| 2025 | – | – | € 3.5 billion |
"All EU spending there" comes from the European Commission’s transparency system: including loans and reconstruction support, such as the Ukraine Facility. Do not add up the columns.
All support to Ukraine, including military
According to the Kiel Institute, from 24 January 2022 to 31 August 2026. This counts what Bulgaria allocated: delivered or firmly planned.
Military
€ 254 million
Humanitarian
€ 2 million
Financial
€ 0
Promised in total (including what is still to come): € 256 million. For military support, Bulgaria ranks 20 of the 27 EU countries.
Source: Kiel Institute, Ukraine Support Tracker (release 31). Based on government announcements, not official figures. Military aid is not part of the development aid above. See the Ukraine Support Tracker
What the EU itself spent outside the EU in 2025
Part of it comes from the contribution of Bulgaria to the EU. So do not add it to the figures above. It is not only aid: loans, reconstruction and, for example, research cooperation with the United Kingdom or Switzerland are also included.
- Ukraine € 3.5 billion
- Czechia € 1.9 billion
- United Kingdom € 730.4 million
- Türkiye € 660 million
- Palestinian Territories € 235.9 million
- Norway € 209.3 million
- Switzerland € 167.1 million
- Lebanon € 124.5 million
Sources: OECD, official development assistance (DAC2A); European Commission, Financial Transparency System (CC BY 4.0); Eurostat, exchange rates; Kiel Institute, Ukraine Support Tracker (totals per country).