Bulgaria's tax-to-GDP ratio, equivalent to the sum of taxes and social contributions as a percentage of GDP, was the second lowest among all EU member states in 2011, reaching 27.2%, Eurostat data showed.
The Balkan country was outpaced only by Lithuania, where the tax burden was just 26%, data issued by Eurostat indicated.
The tax to GDP ratio was 32.4% in Greece and 35.2% in Cyprus against an average of 38.8% for the entire EU. Denmark and Sweden topped the table with 47.7% and 44.3%, respectively.
The sharpest increase - by 1.7 percentage points to 33.2% - was registered in Portugal.
Labour taxes were the main source of tax revenue in 2011, accounting for nearly half of it.