Rising City Index · November 2026 all 1029 cities ×

Sofia

Bulgaria · 1.1 million people · =214 of 1029

Keeping pace, from a high base.

Where it stands (2020–24 data)High base

Light trendRising

Rising City Index grade BB

53.0 out of 100Based on 6 of 6 forces

What this grade says

Sofia scores 53.0 out of 100 against fixed benchmarks. Strongest: transport and energy. Weakest: people and environment. It starts from a high base (2020–24 levels). Night-time light has grown faster since 2022 than before.

Economy43

624th of 1031 cities

Connections63

386th of 1022 cities

Energy86

90th of 1032 cities

People5

957th of 1032 cities

Transport90

125th of 948 cities

Environment32

657th of 1032 cities

The grade is the average of the six force scores, and can sit at most two bands above the city's third-weakest force. AAA and AA need all six forces scored.

How to read the table: every measure is scored from 0 to 100 against a fixed benchmark (the line under each measure), not against other cities. Adding cities never changes this score. Black bars = a score below 15.

MeasureSofiaScore against the benchmarkScore

Economy · 43 out of 100

Night-time light, 2015–250 = no growth · 100 = +10% a year (light ×2.6 in a decade) +50% 41

Research output, 2015–240 = no growth · 100 = output ×8 in a decade (+23.1% a year; set high because new journals entering the index inflate growth) · scored only with at least 100 works in 2015 +139% 44

Income per person, 2015–20Context, not in the grade: its period ends in the COVID year (2020) +16% –

Connections · 63 out of 100

Fixed internet speed growth, 2020–230 = no gain · 100 = +50% a year · growth counted from at least 15 Mbps +128% 63

Air passengers, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide airport source; filled as official files arrive +107% –

Internet speed reached, 2023Context, not in the grade: a level, not a change (it counts in “where it stands”) 205 Mbps –

Energy · 86 out of 100

Sun and wind added within 100 km, 2015–250 = none · 100 = 350 W per person per decade (the world average pace 2015–25, IRENA) 275.7 W per person 72

Clean share of new power within 100 km, 2015–250 = all new power nearby is fossil · 100 = all of it is clean (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal); scored where at least 100 MW was built 100% 100

People · 5 out of 100

Population growth, 2015–250 = shrinking or flat · 100 = +3% a year +3% 9

Human development (region), 2015–200 = no gain · 100 = +0.008 a year · Regional figure: every city in the province shares this value. −0.002 0

Transport · 90 out of 100

Residents near public transport0 = 0% · 100 = 100% (UN target: everyone by 2030) 90% 90

Metro and rapid bus opened per million people, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide metro source; filled as official records arrive 7.3 km per million people –

Environment · 32 out of 100

Land built vs people added, 2010–200 = land grows 2× faster than people · 100 = land grows at most 0.35 times as fast 1.69 (1 = land and people grow together) 19

Fine-particle air pollution, 2013–15 to 2021–230 = no fall · 100 = −8% a year (China's 2013–20 pace), or already at or below 5 µg/m³ (the WHO guideline) −25% 43

Greenness of built-up land, 2015–250 = −0.03 a decade (losing green) · 100 = +0.10 a decade +0.014 34

Weakest forces

people · environment

Its two lowest force scores. Strongest: transport · energy.

Sources: NASA Black Marble · EU JRC GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A (air, greenness, sprawl, human development, internet) and GHS-POP (people within 100 km) · UN-Habitat SDG 11.2.1 · OpenAlex · Global Energy Monitor · airport operators and aviation authorities · metro and transit operators. Mostly Estimates. Every score is measured against a fixed benchmark, not against other cities. Nobody can pay for or submit data to a grade. How the grade works