Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Exposure to outdoor air pollution was 20.6 µg/m³ in 2024. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria, 1998–2024
Source: SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in µg/m³.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 20.6 µg/m³ for exposure to outdoor air pollution in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.7% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria peaked at 31.1 µg/m³ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 16.9 µg/m³, in 2021.
Bulgaria ranks 80th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | µg/m³ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 27.3 µg/m³ | — |
| 1999 | 24.9 µg/m³ | -8.8% |
| 2000 | 27.3 µg/m³ | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 27.2 µg/m³ | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 27.3 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 27.4 µg/m³ | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 25.9 µg/m³ | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 26.3 µg/m³ | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 29.6 µg/m³ | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 27.9 µg/m³ | -5.7% |
| 2008 | 28.3 µg/m³ | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 25.5 µg/m³ | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 24.5 µg/m³ | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 31.1 µg/m³ | +26.9% |
| 2012 | 26.3 µg/m³ | -15.4% |
| 2013 | 23.9 µg/m³ | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 24.3 µg/m³ | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 22.2 µg/m³ | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 21.5 µg/m³ | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 22.1 µg/m³ | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 22.2 µg/m³ | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 21 µg/m³ | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 18.2 µg/m³ | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 16.9 µg/m³ | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 18.2 µg/m³ | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 17.5 µg/m³ | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 20.6 µg/m³ | +17.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 20.6 µg/m³ is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3 µg/m³, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 20.6 µg/m³ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8 µg/m³, 1.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.1 µg/m³ | 24.9 µg/m³ | 27.3 µg/m³ | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.27 µg/m³ | 25.5 µg/m³ | 29.6 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.91 µg/m³ | 21 µg/m³ | 31.1 µg/m³ | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.28 µg/m³ | 16.9 µg/m³ | 20.6 µg/m³ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 77 South Korea 21 µg/m³ compare
- 78 North Macedonia 20.7 µg/m³ compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 20.7 µg/m³ compare
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 µg/m³ compare
- 82 Israel 20.4 µg/m³ compare
- 83 Costa Rica 20.3 µg/m³ 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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -6.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.7509 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in Bulgaria was 20.6 µg/m³ in 2024, according to SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1 µg/m³ in 2011.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9 µg/m³ in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution?
- Bulgaria ranks 80th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from SatPM, Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which can pose significant health risks.