Share of enterprises using at least one AI technology. Focus: Bulgaria, survey year 2025.
Bulgaria: AI in enterprises
Bulgaria, 2025: 9% of enterprises with 10 or more persons employed used at least one AI technology. This corresponds to 1:02 on the AI clock. The EU average was 20%.
Compare interactivelyCountryBulgaria
Year2025
AT A GLANCE / 2025
Three things to know
- In 2025, 9% of enterprises with 10 or more employees in Bulgaria used at least one AI technology. In the 2024 survey, the share was 6%; because the question changed, the comparison is only partly valid.
- That is 11 percentage points less than the EU average (20%).
- Large enterprises (250+ employees) use AI 3.7 times as often as small ones (10–49): 26% compared with 7%.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026 · Why other figures differ
ANALYSIS / 2025
Bulgaria · 2025AI statistics. With context.
Key figures for your selected country and year, with the relevant comparison group. This analysis follows your selection on the chronograph. Compare enterprise sizes →
Bulgaria compared with the published EU figure of 20.0% in 2025. The gap is measured in percentage points.
The surveys are only partly comparable. We therefore do not calculate a pace for this period.
OVER TIME
Each survey is a snapshot.
The bars show published shares for each survey year. Years without a survey are left blank.
EU averageBulgaria
2021
EU average 7.7 %Bulgaria 3.3 %
2023
EU average 8.1 %Bulgaria 3.6 %
2024
EU average 13.5 %Bulgaria 6.5 %
2025*
EU average 20.0 %Bulgaria 8.6 %
* Break relative to an earlier survey. From 2025 the survey includes additional AI technologies. Exact values and flags are in the data table.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector
Why AI statistics can differ.
Who was counted?
The data cover enterprises with 10 or more persons employed. Surveys of microbusinesses or individual workers cover different groups. Comparisons also need to account for the economic activities covered.
What was asked?
Use of at least one AI technology, generative AI and AI use at work are different indicators. Internet and cloud adoption remain separate series here.
Survey or forecast?
An AI adoption survey is not a forecast of the AI market. The publication date is not necessarily the survey year. Comparisons require the same measurement basis.
Detailed figures and sources
| Year | EU average | Bulgaria | Comparability notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7.65 % | 3.29 % | Published observation |
| 2023 | 8.06 % | 3.62 % | Published observation |
| 2024 | 13.48 % | 6.47 % | Published observation |
| 2025 | 19.95 % | 8.55 % | Break in series |
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector
Data retrieved: November 7, 2026. Missing values are shown as a dash and are not estimated.
Cite the figure and its source
Eurostat: Bulgaria, 2025: 8.55% of the enterprises covered used at least one AI technology. Dataset isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026, retrieved November 7, 2026. Presentation: AIpace.eu.
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector · When reusing a figure, include the year, population and primary source.
Open the Eurostat datasetBY ENTERPRISE SIZE / 2025
Bulgaria · 2025Three sizes. Three perspectives.
One country figure does not tell the whole story. Compare AI adoption in small, medium and large enterprises — for the same year and using the same definition.
EU averageBulgaria
017.2 %
Small enterprises
10–49 persons employed
EU average: 17.0 %Bulgaria: 7.2 %
0213.3 %
Medium-sized enterprises
50–249 persons employed
EU average: 30.4 %Bulgaria: 13.3 %
0326.2 %
Large enterprises
250+ persons employed
EU average: 55.0 %Bulgaria: 26.2 %
From 2025, the survey also covers AI that generates images, video or audio. Results are therefore only partly comparable with earlier years.
Flags for each size class are shown in the table. Missing values are not estimated.
All size classes as a table
| Size class | EU average | Bulgaria | Data & methodology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small enterprises | 17.0 % | 7.2 % | Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026 Enterprises with 10–49 persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance size_emp=10-49 |
| Medium-sized enterprises | 30.4 % | 13.3 % | Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026 Enterprises with 50–249 persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance size_emp=50-249 |
| Large enterprises | 55.0 % | 26.2 % | Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026 Enterprises with 250+ persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance size_emp=GE250 |
BY SECTOR / 2025
AI use by sector
Share of enterprises with 10 or more employees using at least one AI technology, by economic activity, survey 2025. Ordered by activity, not by value.
Manufacturing
Bulgaria 5 %EU27 17 %
Energy, water and waste
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 18 %
Construction
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 11 %
Trade and motor vehicle repair
Bulgaria 7 %EU27 19 %
Transport and storage
Bulgaria 6 %EU27 11 %
Accommodation and food services
Bulgaria 4 %EU27 12 %
Information and communication
Bulgaria 42 %EU27 63 %
Real estate
Bulgaria 11 %EU27 25 %
Professional, scientific and technical services
Bulgaria 26 %EU27 40 %
Administrative and support services
Bulgaria 8 %EU27 20 %
Eurostat does not publish some country values, for example for confidentiality; they appear as “no data”. Each sector is its own population.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ain2, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more employees in each economic activity (NACE Rev. 2)
USE IN DETAIL / 2025
What with, what for – and what holds back
Which AI technologies enterprises use, what they use them for and why others do not, survey 2025. Each column has its own population.
What with: AI technologies
% of all enterprises with 10 or more employees
Analysing text (text mining)
Bulgaria 5 %EU27 12 %
Generating images, video or sound
Bulgaria 5 %EU27 10 %
Generating text, speech or code
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 9 %
Speech recognition
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 7 %
Show 4 more
Automating workflows, supporting decisions
Bulgaria 4 %EU27 5 %
Machine learning for data analysis
Bulgaria 2 %EU27 5 %
Image recognition
Bulgaria 2 %EU27 4 %
Autonomous movement of machines
Bulgaria 1 %EU27 1 %
What for: areas of use
% of enterprises using AI
Marketing or sales
Bulgaria 36 %EU27 35 %
Administration and management
Bulgaria 33 %EU27 31 %
Accounting, controlling, finance
Bulgaria 25 %EU27 23 %
Production
Bulgaria 24 %EU27 21 %
Show 3 more
ICT security
Bulgaria 14 %EU27 20 %
Research, development, innovation
Bulgaria 19 %EU27 19 %
Logistics
Bulgaria 11 %EU27 6 %
What holds back: reasons against AI
% of enterprises not using AI
Of the enterprises not using AI, 14 % had ever considered using it (EU27). Bulgaria: 6 %.
Lack of expertise
Bulgaria 4 %EU27 10 %
Unclear legal consequences
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 8 %
Data protection and privacy concerns
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 7 %
Required data missing or of low quality
Bulgaria 2 %EU27 6 %
Show 4 more
Incompatible with existing systems
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 6 %
Costs seem too high
Bulgaria 3 %EU27 5 %
Ethical considerations
Bulgaria 2 %EU27 3 %
Not useful for the enterprise
Bulgaria 1 %EU27 3 %
Multiple answers possible, so a column does not add up to 100%. Values unchanged from the Eurostat survey.
Time series: Bulgaria and EU average
| Year | Bulgaria | AS A TIME OF DAY | EU average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.3 % | 0:24 | 7.7 % |
| 2023 | 3.6 % | 0:26 | 8.1 % |
| 2024 | 6.5 % | 0:47 | 13.5 % |
| 2025 | 8.6 % · break in series | 1:02 | 20.0 % |
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector
From 2025, the survey also covers AI that generates images, video or audio. Results are therefore only partly comparable with earlier years.