International tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: International tourism, number of departures was 3.97 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria is 3.97 million, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 43.3% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria peaked at 7.01 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.34 million, in 2000.
That places Bulgaria 35th out of 117 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
International tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.52 million | — |
| 1996 | 3.01 million | -14.7% |
| 1997 | 3.06 million | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 2.59 million | -15.3% |
| 1999 | 2.38 million | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 2.34 million | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 2.73 million | +16.8% |
| 2002 | 3.19 million | +16.8% |
| 2003 | 3.40 million | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 3.88 million | +14.1% |
| 2005 | 4.24 million | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 4.18 million | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 4.51 million | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 5.73 million | +26.8% |
| 2009 | 4.99 million | -12.8% |
| 2010 | 3.68 million | -26.4% |
| 2011 | 3.80 million | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 3.76 million | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 3.93 million | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 4.16 million | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 4.63 million | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 5.39 million | +16.4% |
| 2017 | 6.23 million | +15.5% |
| 2018 | 6.70 million | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 7.01 million | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 3.97 million | -43.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.91 million | 2.38 million | 3.52 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 3.92 million | 2.34 million | 5.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.93 million | 3.68 million | 7.01 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.97 million | 3.97 million | 3.97 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More private sector data for Bulgaria
- Merchandise trade 83.5% (2025)
- Food imports 13.2% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 60.0% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 60.89 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 15.2% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 53.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 48.32 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 7,511 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3695 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 0.8979 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria?
- International tourism, number of departures in Bulgaria was 3.97 million in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of departures recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 7.01 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of departures recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 million in 2000.
- How does Bulgaria rank for international tourism, number of departures?
- Bulgaria ranks 35th out of 117 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of departures rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of departures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure.