Bulgaria · Net Interest · % GDP

## What this measures

What Bulgaria's government pays its creditors, net of the interest it earns on its own assets, as a share of the economy.

## Why it matters

The cost of the debt, not its size. It rises with a lag as old low-rate debt is refinanced at today's rates — which is why it keeps climbing after rates stop rising.

## How to read it

Above ~3% of GDP is where interest starts to compete with defense, education or health for room in the budget.

## What it does not say

Negative readings mean the government earns more interest than it pays (e.g. Norway). It excludes central-bank losses.

## Source

Source: OECD Economic Outlook (CC BY 4.0), general government, annual. Palanor reads the standard definition where the OECD publishes one and the country-specific definition otherwise; points carry `definition: country-specific` in their metadata when the latter applies.