Germany and Bulgaria enjoy long-standing amicable relations. Germany is a strategic partner for Bulgaria in Europe. The large Bulgarian diaspora in Germany (approx. 440,000 people) forms an important bridge between the two countries.

Germany is Bulgaria’s most important trading partner, with the volume of trade reaching a record level of more than 12 billion euro in 2024. German companies are among the largest foreign investors and the most significant employers in the country. The German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the biggest foreign chamber in Bulgaria. The most important sectors for German companies are raw materials processing, the automotive supply industry, IT and trade.

The two countries enjoy long-standing intensive contacts in the schools and universities sector. Several thousand Bulgarian students are enrolled at German universities. Of the around 16,000 foreign students in Bulgaria, Germans comprise the fourth-largest group. There are about 1500 Germans studying at Bulgarian universities, especially medicine in Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv. There are over 235 partnerships between German and Bulgarian universities. Bulgaria also has several degree programmes that are offered in German.

German remains popular as a foreign language in Bulgaria: after English and Russian, it is the third most important foreign language at grammar schools (and usually the second most important in the cities). Thirty-seven schools are involved in programmes for intensive promotion of the German language through the partner schools network. In particular, pupils in grammar schools with a focus on languages acquire very good German skills through an intensive language year in Year 8.

Bulgaria has a diverse cultural scene, although it faces some financial constraints. German organisations such as the Goethe-Institut, ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) run projects in Bulgaria.