Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Bulgaria?
In 2026, Bulgaria scores 59 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 27th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 11th to 40th allowing for scoring error, in the Mixed band (45 to 64). Who holds the keys: you and the health system. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
The person has real controls inside a government or provider system. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is control over who sees it (62 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country). The furthest behind is your say over research use (44 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country).
Bulgaria's national health information system records every visit, prescription and hospital stay, with consent rules and an access history, but few patients use it.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Mixed band, 45 to 64
59/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 11th to 40th, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 5 of the 8 rights: your copy, joined-up record, doctors see it, research and AI rules. The evidence grade rates all our sources together; confidence looks at each right. Neither changes the score.
Questions people ask
Can I see my health record in Bulgaria?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 62 out of 100 in Bulgaria; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The Health Act gives a right to copies, and the national record shows exams, referrals, lab results, vaccines, prescriptions and hospital stays. Source: asp.government.bg, April 9, 2025, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Bulgaria?
In 2026, you and the health system hold the keys to your health record in Bulgaria. Control over who sees it scores 62 out of 100 in Bulgaria; the typical country scores 30. Access by providers, the health fund and insurers needs the patient's express written consent, which can be limited and withdrawn, and patients can check an access history in the app. The patient's own GP has standing access. Source: Държавен вестник, December 24, 2022, and the other sources below.
How does Bulgaria compare?
In 2026, Bulgaria scores 59 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with United Kingdom (59 out of 100), Luxembourg (59 out of 100) and Malta (59 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Malta, the typical EU country and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
62
66 · 64 · 72
Control over who sees it20%
62
52 · 70 · 50
Privacy and security15%
55
56 · 54 · 62
One record across your care15%
70
62 · 54 · 60
Protection from sale and ads10%
50
60 · 54 · 58
Doctors see it when treating you10%
62
60 · 56 · 56
Your say over research use5%
44
64 · 46 · 48
Rules for AI in your care5%
50
55 · 50 · 50
Black dot: Bulgaria. Hollow dots: United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Malta (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Dashed teal line: the typical EU country. Overall: Bulgaria 59 out of 100, the typical EU country 61. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Bulgaria need to change to score higher?
Bulgaria sits in Mixed (45 to 64); Strong starts at 65. Its weakest right, compared with the typical country, is your say over research use (44 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). Every other right is at or above the typical country; the one with the most room to grow, weighted, is control over who sees it (62 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Your say over research use: A way to say no to research use that is actually honored, or being asked first, plus a public list of what research used the data. That puts this right at 55 to 85 out of 100.
Control over who sees it: A way to say no to sharing (or to be asked first), a log you can read of who opened your record, and finer choices about who sees what. Together these put this right at 60 to 80 out of 100.
Which laws give health record rights in Bulgaria?
General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679: EU-wide data protection law, in force since 24 May 2016 and applying since 25 May 2018.
Health Act (Закон за здравето) (2004): Right to copies; creates the national health information system; consent needed for third-party access since 2024.
Ordinance N-6 of 21 December 2022 on the National Health Information System: Sets patient access, consent and withdrawal, access logging, emergency access and anonymised reuse.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
43.9 2023
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
46.8 2023
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
36.3% 2023
Record reaches private care?
yes
"Every provider, public or private, must send a signed electronic record of each activity to the national system."
Real cases
October 23, 2024 · zdrave.net Health fund sanctions providers after patients spot unperformed care in their records
September 3, 2026 · Gospodari.com · archived copy Patients flag 1,760 record entries they say never happened
In 2026, Bulgaria scored 59 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 27th of 198 countries and territories (could be 11th to 40th), in the Mixed band. Who holds the keys: you and the health system. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/bulgaria/
The 15 sources for Bulgaria
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (4 sources)
“Закон за здравето (consolidated text, Health Act)” [Health Act (consolidated text, Health Act)] our machine translation
asp.government.bg (law or regulation) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated April 9, 2025 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; One record across your care; Protection from sale and ads; Your say over research use
“Наредба № Н-6 от 21 декември 2022 г. за функционирането на НЗИС” [Ordinance No. N-6 of 21 December 2022 on the functioning of the NZIS] our machine translation
Държавен вестник [State Gazette] (law or regulation) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated December 24, 2022 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Protection from sale and ads; Doctors see it when treating you; Your say over research use
“Личните лекари вече имат достъп до електронните здравни досиета на пациентите си” [General practitioners now have access to their patients' electronic health records] our machine translation
МЗ [Ministry of Health] (government guidance) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated December 20, 2024 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Doctors see it when treating you
“Близо 500 000 граждани имат достъп до здравните си досиета чрез еЗдраве” [Nearly 500,000 citizens have access to their health records through eHealth] our machine translation
БТА [BTA (Bulgarian News Agency)] (news) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated February 17, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Здравните досиета на близо 15 000 пациенти са били прегледани от личните им лекари за месец” [The health records of nearly 15,000 patients were reviewed by their general practitioners in a month] our machine translation
НЗИС [National Health Information System (NHIS)] (government guidance) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated January 23, 2025 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Близо 29 млн. е-прегледа регистрирани в НЗИС от началото на 2025 г.” [Nearly 29 million e-examinations registered in the NZIS since the beginning of 2025] our machine translation
zdrave.net (news) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated July 25, 2025 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“България все още няма надзор над високорисковите системи с изкуствен интелект” [Bulgaria still has no oversight of high-risk artificial intelligence systems] our machine translation
Дебати [Debati] (news) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated January 9, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Нов Закон за използването и развитието на изкуствения интелект” [New Law on the Use and Development of Artificial Intelligence] our machine translation
novini247 (news) · Title in Bulgarian
Dated September 26, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/bulgaria/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
