Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals was 71.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria, 1990–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria stood at 71.3%.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria peaked at 72.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 61.2%, in 2000.
That places Bulgaria 11th out of 179 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 63.6% | — |
| 1991 | 63.4% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 63.2% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 63.0% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 62.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 62.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 62.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 62.0% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 61.8% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 61.5% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 61.2% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 66.5% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 72.5% | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 70.6% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 70.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 70.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 72.5% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 68.3% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 68.9% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 68.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 69.0% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 66.8% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 67.7% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 70.0% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 69.3% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 68.3% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 69.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 70.7% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 69.3% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 70.0% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 69.9% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 71.3% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.6% | 61.5% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.0% | 61.2% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.9% | 66.8% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.4% | 69.9% | 71.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 8 Hungary 75.7% compare
- 9 Republic of Moldova 73.1% compare
- 10 Puerto Rico 72.2% compare
- 12 Iceland 71.1% compare
- 13 Netherlands 70.2% compare
- 14 France 68.1% compare
More environment data for Bulgaria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.573 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.18 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 10.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0638 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria?
- Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals in Bulgaria was 71.3% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5% in 2002.
- What is the lowest industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.2% in 2000.
- How does Bulgaria rank for industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Bulgaria ranks 11th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Industrial water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).