Merchandise trade in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Merchandise trade was 83.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Bulgaria, 1980–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Bulgaria is 83.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Bulgaria peaked at 153.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 48.9%, in 1990.
That places Bulgaria 44th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 100.1% | — |
| 1981 | 107.2% | +7.1% |
| 1982 | 116.0% | +8.2% |
| 1983 | 144.1% | +24.1% |
| 1984 | 146.9% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 153.4% | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 144.8% | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 112.6% | -22.2% |
| 1988 | 147.8% | +31.2% |
| 1989 | 144.4% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 48.9% | -66.2% |
| 1991 | 99.0% | +102.5% |
| 1992 | 90.3% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 78.3% | -13.3% |
| 1994 | 88.5% | +13.0% |
| 1995 | 58.0% | -34.4% |
| 1996 | 81.0% | +39.7% |
| 1997 | 87.2% | +7.6% |
| 1998 | 61.5% | -29.5% |
| 1999 | 69.3% | +12.7% |
| 2000 | 86.0% | +24.1% |
| 2001 | 87.4% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 83.4% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 87.1% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 93.2% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 100.1% | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 111.5% | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 109.1% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 108.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 76.6% | -29.6% |
| 2010 | 91.0% | +18.8% |
| 2011 | 105.4% | +15.8% |
| 2012 | 109.4% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 114.4% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 111.9% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 107.5% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 102.9% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 110.9% | +7.8% |
| 2018 | 108.1% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 103.6% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 95.1% | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 103.5% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 119.2% | +15.1% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | -16.6% |
| 2024 | 90.8% | -8.7% |
| 2025 | 83.5% | -8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 131.7% | 100.1% | 153.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.2% | 48.9% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.3% | 76.6% | 111.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 106.5% | 91.0% | 114.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 83.5% | 119.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 41 Lebanon 85.9% compare
- 42 Serbia 84.6% compare
- 43 Solomon Islands 83.8% compare
- 45 Micronesia (country) 83.5% compare
- 46 Bhutan 83.3% compare
- 47 Bosnia and Herzegovina 83.3% compare
More private sector data for Bulgaria
- 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$), annual growth rate 0.8979 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 9,465 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Bulgaria?
- Merchandise trade in Bulgaria was 83.5% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 153.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.9% in 1990.
- How does Bulgaria rank for merchandise trade?
- Bulgaria ranks 44th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.