Arable land in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Arable land was 32.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Bulgaria, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and website, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land in Bulgaria is 32.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Bulgaria peaked at 38.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 28.4%, in 2007.
Bulgaria ranks 26th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 38.4% | — |
| 1962 | 37.5% | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 37.4% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 37.8% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 37.7% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 37.7% | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 37.5% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 37.5% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 37.6% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 37.4% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 37.3% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 37.3% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 37.2% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 37.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 35.8% | -3.4% |
| 1976 | 35.6% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 35.6% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 35.5% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 35.2% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 34.6% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 34.6% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 34.5% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 34.5% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 34.4% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 34.4% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 34.5% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 34.6% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 34.7% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 34.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 34.9% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 34.9% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 36.6% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 36.7% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 36.2% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 36.1% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 38.0% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 38.9% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 32.0% | -17.7% |
| 1999 | 32.3% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 31.9% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 31.3% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 30.8% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 30.6% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 30.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 29.2% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 28.8% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 28.4% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 28.4% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 29.0% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 29.3% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 29.9% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 30.6% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 32.0% | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 32.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 32.3% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 32.2% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 32.1% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 32.0% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 32.2% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 32.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 31.9% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.7% | 37.4% | 38.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 36.4% | 35.2% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.6% | 34.4% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.7% | 32.0% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.9% | 28.4% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 29.3% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.1% | 31.9% | 32.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More agriculture & rural data for Bulgaria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 21.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0247 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 503.12 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9803 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2583 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Bulgaria?
- Arable land in Bulgaria was 32.1% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and website, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 38.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.4% in 2007.
- How does Bulgaria rank for arable land?
- Bulgaria ranks 26th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and website, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.