Industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Industrial water withdrawal was 3.67 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.67 billion cubic meters
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
25th
of 180 countries
All-time high
4.85 billion cubic meters
in 1990
All-time low
3.48 billion cubic meters
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria stood at 3.67 billion cubic meters.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria peaked at 4.85 billion cubic meters in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.48 billion cubic meters, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 25th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1991 | 4.74 billion cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 4.63 billion cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 4.52 billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 4.41 billion cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 4.30 billion cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 4.19 billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 4.08 billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 3.97 billion cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 3.86 billion cubic meters | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 3.75 billion cubic meters | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 3.88 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 4.78 billion cubic meters | +23.2% |
| 2003 | 4.72 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 4.66 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.61 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 4.55 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 4.50 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 4.36 billion cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 4.22 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 4.08 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 4.41 billion cubic meters | +8.1% |
| 2012 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | -13.3% |
| 2013 | 3.70 billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 3.76 billion cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 3.90 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 3.89 billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 3.92 billion cubic meters | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 3.84 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 3.76 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 3.48 billion cubic meters | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 3.64 billion cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 3.88 billion cubic meters | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 3.67 billion cubic meters | -5.3% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 3.67 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 5.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 3.67 billion cubic meters is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 806.76 million cubic meters, 4.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.36 billion cubic meters | 3.86 billion cubic meters | 4.85 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.40 billion cubic meters | 3.75 billion cubic meters | 4.78 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.91 billion cubic meters | 3.70 billion cubic meters | 4.41 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.67 billion cubic meters | 3.48 billion cubic meters | 3.88 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) -3.51 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Bulgaria was 3.67 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.85 billion cubic meters in 1990.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.48 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Bulgaria ranks 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.