Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East was 7.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bulgaria, 1981–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 7.2% for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 99.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bulgaria peaked at 7.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1984.
That places Bulgaria 172nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.1% | — |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -4.9% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -32.6% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +45.7% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | +75.5% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | -38.3% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +51.2% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +30.4% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -17.0% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | -40.0% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +73.9% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -58.6% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | +58.0% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +22.3% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +35.4% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +72.1% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +17.0% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 5.9% | +40.7% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -45.0% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +8.7% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +12.6% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | +18.9% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | +8.6% |
| 2020 | 6.7% | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 6.5% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | +11.8% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 7.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.5%, 69% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 7.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.2%, 71% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 2.0% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.1% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.5% | 7.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 169 Seychelles 7.4% compare
- 170 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7.3% compare
- 171 France 7.3% compare
- 173 Cape Verde 7.1% compare
- 174 Sudan 7.1% compare
- 175 Sweden 7.0% compare
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 merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bulgaria?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east in Bulgaria was 7.2% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1984.
- How does Bulgaria rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east?
- Bulgaria ranks 172nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in east rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia and Pacific are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the East Asia and Pacific region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.