A comparative study of parliamentary pay across Europe shows that Bulgarian MPs receive salaries that are among the highest in relation to the national minimum wage. In Bulgaria, the ratio stands at roughly 6.8 times the minimum wage, placing the country at the top of this specific indicator in Europe.
Despite this ranking, Bulgaria remains one of the lowest-income countries in the European Union, highlighting a sharp contrast between average earnings and political remuneration. The data suggest that no other European state shows a wider gap between parliamentary pay and minimum wage levels.
In comparison, Romania records a ratio of about 2.7 to 1, even though its minimum wage is higher than Bulgaria’s at close to 800 euros. Spain stands at approximately 2.5 times, France at around 4 times, and Germany at roughly 5 times the minimum wage level for MPs.
The figures have sparked broader discussion about whether parliamentary salaries should reflect the country’s economic reality and living standards. Observers note that the Bulgarian case stands out in Europe due to the scale of the discrepancy between political and average earnings.
Another point of debate concerns how MPs’ salaries are adjusted over time. In most European countries, parliamentary pay is typically indexed once per year, while in Bulgaria it is recalculated every three months based on average wages in the public sector, making it more sensitive to short-term changes in income levels.
