Share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of land area used for agriculture was 46.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria is 46.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria peaked at 56.1% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 45.8%, in 2014.
Bulgaria ranks 73rd of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 51.3% | — |
| 1962 | 51.4% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 51.5% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 52.2% | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 52.4% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 53.0% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 53.2% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 54.4% | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 54.3% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 54.3% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 54.4% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 54.1% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 54.6% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 53.8% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 56.0% | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 56.1% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 56.1% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 56.1% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 55.9% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 55.9% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 55.9% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 55.8% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 55.8% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 55.8% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 55.7% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 55.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 55.7% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 55.8% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 55.7% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 55.7% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 55.6% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 55.3% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 55.7% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 55.7% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 55.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 56.1% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 51.0% | -9.0% |
| 1999 | 51.3% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.5% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 49.7% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 48.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 49.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 49.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 48.5% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 47.8% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 46.3% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 46.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 46.9% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 47.2% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 46.0% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 46.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 46.3% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 46.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 46.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 46.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 46.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 46.3% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 46.1% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.4% | 51.3% | 54.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 55.0% | 53.8% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.8% | 55.7% | 55.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.8% | 51.0% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.4% | 46.3% | 50.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.4% | 45.8% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.3% | 46.1% | 46.5% | 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 land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Bulgaria was 46.1% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 56.1% in 1978.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.8% in 2014.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Bulgaria ranks 73rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.