site.btaMore than Half of Bulgarians Support Increase of Minimum Wage - Survey

The increase in the minimum wage is supported by 54.1% of Bulgarians, with one-third of them believing that it should be equal to the cost of living. These are the results of a representative survey conducted among 804 adult Bulgarians to examine attitudes towards income dynamics, the size of the minimum wage, the mechanism for determining it, and its alignment with the subsistence wage. 

The poll was carried out between October 30 and November 7, 2025, by the Myara sociological agency on behalf of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). The information was presented at a news conference at CITUB headquarters on Tuesday.

Almost 19% of those surveyed are against the increase in the minimum wage, while 27% are undecided. "The increase in the minimum wage is perceived as a necessary socio-economic measure by more than half of the participants in the survey," say the experts who conducted the study.

Support for an increase in the minimum wage is high among those employed in the public and private sectors, as well as among the unemployed, said Violeta Ivanova, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research, Education and Training. Only the self-employed and business owners are negative about the increase in the minimum wage, she said.

The data also show that 86.1% of people believe that this year's wage increase is insufficient. Only 11.1% consider it sufficient.

There is fragmentation in the degree of salary increases, with 42.5% of respondents indicating that they received a pay rise of around 10-15%. The largest share is the group with an income in the range of BGN 2,000-3,000 (59.4%).