Share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 28.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 28.9% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and down 48.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria peaked at 61.0% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 1991.
Bulgaria ranks 164th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 53.6% | — |
| 1962 | 55.2% | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 49.9% | -9.6% |
| 1964 | 45.0% | -9.8% |
| 1965 | 51.3% | +13.9% |
| 1966 | 46.0% | -10.3% |
| 1967 | 46.6% | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 44.3% | -5.0% |
| 1969 | 41.5% | -6.3% |
| 1970 | 39.0% | -5.9% |
| 1971 | 38.8% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 36.3% | -6.5% |
| 1973 | 35.6% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 32.3% | -9.1% |
| 1975 | 31.5% | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 30.2% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 29.9% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 30.2% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 29.4% | -2.8% |
| 1980 | 29.4% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 29.0% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 27.6% | -5.0% |
| 1983 | 27.6% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 26.1% | -5.5% |
| 1985 | 28.2% | +8.1% |
| 1986 | 25.7% | -8.6% |
| 1987 | 26.6% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 24.8% | -7.0% |
| 1989 | 22.7% | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 22.3% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 19.7% | -11.8% |
| 1992 | 26.4% | +34.2% |
| 1993 | 32.1% | +21.5% |
| 1994 | 30.1% | -6.3% |
| 1995 | 29.9% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 31.9% | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 27.8% | -12.8% |
| 1998 | 29.9% | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 33.4% | +11.4% |
| 2000 | 40.8% | +22.3% |
| 2001 | 33.8% | -17.1% |
| 2002 | 30.5% | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 41.0% | +34.1% |
| 2004 | 28.4% | -30.6% |
| 2005 | 30.3% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 38.0% | +25.4% |
| 2007 | 38.5% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 46.5% | +20.8% |
| 2009 | 41.4% | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 42.8% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 50.1% | +17.0% |
| 2012 | 57.6% | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 55.8% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 61.0% | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 60.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 51.0% | -16.0% |
| 2017 | 54.4% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 55.1% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 39.1% | -29.1% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 32.9% | -10.5% |
| 2022 | 28.7% | -12.9% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | +1.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 28.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 76% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 28.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31.9%, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.2% | 41.5% | 55.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 33.3% | 29.4% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.8% | 22.7% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 19.7% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 28.4% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.8% | 39.1% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.8% | 28.7% | 36.8% | 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 share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Bulgaria was 28.9% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 61.0% in 2014.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 1991.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Bulgaria ranks 164th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.