Bulgarians spend little on culture: an average of 35 euros per month versus 155 euros in the EU

Bulgarian households allocate a significantly smaller portion of their monthly budget to cultural activities and leisure time compared to the average indicators for the European Union. According to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), expenditures in this category in Bulgaria represent less than 7% of citizens' total monthly expenses, which amounts to approximately 35 euros per person.

This figure stands in sharp contrast to indicators in developed European economies. In countries such as Germany, Austria, and Denmark, monthly expenditures for culture and entertainment vary between 200 and 280 euros per person. At the EU level, the average monthly expenditure is around 155 euros, representing 8% of European citizens' budgets – only one percentage point more than the Bulgarian indicator.

On a regional level, Bulgaria is in close proximity to Romania (28 euros per person), but remains far behind Poland (65 euros) and the Czech Republic (95 euros).

Despite low financial expenditures, a positive trend in interest in museums is observed. The number of visits to cultural institutions in the country shows rapid growth – from 4 million in 2022 to nearly 6.5 million in 2025 (projected/current). Interestingly, one-fifth of visitors are foreign tourists, and their number has doubled over the last three years. Nevertheless, on average, a Bulgarian citizen makes approximately one museum visit per year, while in the Netherlands, this indicator is nearly 1.8 per inhabitant.

A similar picture is observed in the cinema industry. Bulgarians visit cinemas an average of 0.7 times per year. Although this is similar to levels in some neighboring countries, it is significantly below the indicators of the Czech Republic and Poland (over 1.2 visits) and much lower than the levels in France and Ireland, where the average number is nearly three visits per person per year.