Irreligion in Bulgaria

Making up approximately 5-10% of Bulgarians, irreligion is the second most common religious stance after Eastern Orthodoxy.

Irreligion in Bulgaria is closely tied to the history of Marxism–Leninism and Soviet rule in the country during the 20th century.

Bulgarian revolutionaries such as Lyuben Karavelov and Hristo Botev wrote that religion is not necessary to form a cohesive nation.

These academics included Asen Zlatarov, Todor Pavlov, and Azaria Polikarov, who all played a role in the spread of atheism in the country.

Members of the Muslim Bulgarian Turk community were targeted by nationalist propaganda and forced to change their personal names.