Polls: Over 50% of Bulgarians Believe in Magic and Supernatural Powers

Around 34% of Bulgarians believe in life after death, while half (50%) do not share this belief. Women are significantly more likely than men to believe in an afterlife, and the proportion of believers increases with age.

Reincarnation is less widely accepted: 31% believe in it, compared to 53% who do not.

The most prevalent belief among Bulgarians is in karma: 65% of respondents believe that “everything comes back,” equivalent to over 3.5 million people. Women are again more inclined to believe in karma, while only 10% reject the idea entirely.

Nearly half of Bulgarians (47%) consider fate to be partly predetermined and partly a result of personal choice, reflecting a nuanced understanding of the interplay between belief and individual responsibility. Equal shares (23%) hold the more extreme views that fate is either entirely predetermined or entirely in the hands of the individual.

Regarding supernatural practices, 38% (over 2 million people) have visited a fortune-teller or clairvoyant, and 14% have consulted an astrologer. Women are significantly more likely to seek such guidance. Visits to psychics (11%) and numerologists (9%) are less common, but their presence indicates ongoing interest in alternative forms of prediction.

More than half of Bulgarians (58%) believe that some people possess supernatural abilities, while 30% do not. A similar share (56%) believes in curses and hexes.

Conspiracy beliefs are also prevalent: 47% think secret societies exist that control the world, while 36% disagree.

Forty-four percent believe in omens or signs that can predict the future, with a nearly equal proportion (43%) dissenting.

When it comes to astrology and zodiac signs influencing character and destiny, the majority (51%) disagree, but 37% do believe in this connection, with younger generations (aged 18–39) showing greater affinity for astrological beliefs.

The study demonstrates that belief in the supernatural and conspiracies is an integral part of Bulgarian cultural identity rather than a fringe phenomenon.

The survey was conducted between 13 and 19 October 2025 using semi-standardised face-to-face interviews with tablets, encompassing a sample of 1,000 respondents aged 18 and over.