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Average Physician - Infectious Disease Salary in Bulgaria for 2026

A infectious disease physician in Bulgaria earns about 100,140 BGN a year. That's 159% above the national average of 38,700 BGN.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Bulgaria sit around 48,760 BGN a year, while the very top stretches to 158,700 BGN. Everything on this page is in Bulgarian lev (BGN, symbol лв), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Bulgaria, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a infectious disease physician make in Bulgaria?

Average salary
100,140 BGN
8,345 BGN per month
Lowest reported
48,760 BGN
4,063 BGN per month
Highest reported
158,700 BGN
13,225 BGN per month

A typical infectious disease physician working in Bulgaria brings home around 8,345 BGN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 48,760 BGN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 158,700 BGN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior infectious disease physician working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How infectious disease physician pay ranges in Bulgaria

A good way to think about salary in Bulgaria is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria earn less than 101,980 BGN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 66,840 BGN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 134,600 BGN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of infectious disease physicians sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 48,760 BGN. The highest stretch to 158,700 BGN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

48,760
Low
101,980
Median
158,700
High
66,840
25th
134,600
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BGN

Infectious disease physician pay by experience in Bulgaria

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a infectious disease physician in Bulgaria, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical infectious disease physician salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    60,480 BGN
  • 2-5 Years
    +23% from previous
    74,380 BGN
  • 5-10 Years
    +39% from previous
    103,260 BGN
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    128,500 BGN
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    139,100 BGN
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    148,300 BGN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 39%. That is the point at which a infectious disease physician typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Infectious disease physician pay by education in Bulgaria

Education lifts pay across almost every role, but the size of the lift varies enormously. The biggest premiums show up in licensed professions like medicine, law and accounting, where extra years of formal study open up seniority that isn't available without the qualification. The smallest premiums show up in skilled trades and creative work, where practical experience often beats academic credentials.

As a rough cross-industry guide for Bulgaria: a post-secondary certificate or diploma adds around 17% over a high-school-only baseline. A bachelor's degree typically adds another 25% on top of that. A master's lifts pay a further 30%, and a PhD adds about 22% more in fields that value research-level qualifications. These are averages across many different professions, so the real number for your specific job could easily be twice as high or close to zero. The per-job pages below have the real numbers for individual roles.


Infectious disease physician gender pay gap in Bulgaria

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bulgaria is no exception. Male infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria earn an average of 104,500 BGN a year, while female infectious disease physicians earn around 95,980 BGN. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Physician - Infectious Disease gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Bulgaria.

Men 104,500 BGN
Women 95,980 BGN

Pay raises for a infectious disease physician in Bulgaria

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Bulgaria sees a raise of about 12% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Bulgaria, the national average raise is around 7% every 20 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Bulgaria:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Infectious disease physician bonus rates in Bulgaria

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

82%

82% of infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a infectious disease physician a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 18% of infectious disease physicians reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Bulgaria

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Infectious disease physician: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Bulgaria is about 2% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

2%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Bulgaria on average.

Public sector 40,040 BGN
Private sector 39,160 BGN

Infectious disease physician salary by city in Bulgaria

Infectious disease physician pay is not even across Bulgaria. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Sofia
  • Plovdiv
  • Varna
  • Burgas
  • Rousse
  • Stara Zagora
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SofiaCity112,600 BGN112,600 BGN56,460-176,800 BGN
PlovdivCity106,980 BGN111,240 BGN53,660-169,000 BGN
VarnaCity101,960 BGN106,440 BGN50,080-161,300 BGN
BurgasCity99,340 BGN104,620 BGN47,120-157,600 BGN
RousseCity94,380 BGN101,960 BGN43,340-152,000 BGN
Stara ZagoraCity91,580 BGN85,460 BGN49,300-139,100 BGN


Physician - Infectious Disease in Bulgaria: FAQs

  • How much does a infectious disease physician make per month in Bulgaria?

    A infectious disease physician in Bulgaria earns about 8,345 BGN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 100,140 BGN.

  • What's the salary range for a infectious disease physician in Bulgaria?

    Entry-level infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria start near 48,760 BGN. Top-end pay reaches around 158,700 BGN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 66,840 and 134,600 BGN.

  • Is the median infectious disease physician salary in Bulgaria higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 101,980 BGN, higher than the average of 100,140 BGN. Half of infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria?

    Men working as a infectious disease physician in Bulgaria earn around 9% more than women on average (104,500 vs 95,980 BGN a year).

  • Do infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria get bonuses?

    About 82% of infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do infectious disease physicians earn more in the public or private sector in Bulgaria?

    In Bulgaria, the public sector pays a infectious disease physician about 2% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do infectious disease physicians in Bulgaria get a pay raise?

    A infectious disease physician in Bulgaria sees a raise of around 12% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.