Outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 20.6 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
20.6
Change on year
up 17.7%
World rank
80th
of 241 countries
All-time high
31.1
in 2011
All-time low
16.9
in 2021
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 20.6 for outdoor air pollution exposure 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, outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria peaked at 31.1 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 16.9, 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.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 27.3 | — |
| 1999 | 24.9 | -8.8% |
| 2000 | 27.3 | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 27.2 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 27.3 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 27.4 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 25.9 | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 26.3 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 29.6 | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 27.9 | -5.7% |
| 2008 | 28.3 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 25.5 | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 24.5 | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 31.1 | +26.9% |
| 2012 | 26.3 | -15.4% |
| 2013 | 23.9 | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 24.3 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 22.2 | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 21.5 | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 22.1 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 21 | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 18.2 | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 16.9 | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 18.2 | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 17.5 | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 20.6 | +17.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 20.6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3, 2.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 20.6 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.8, 1.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.1 | 24.9 | 27.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.27 | 25.5 | 29.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.91 | 21 | 31.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.28 | 16.9 | 20.6 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 77 South Korea 21 compare
- 78 North Macedonia 20.7 compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 20.7 compare
- 81 Nicaragua 20.5 compare
- 82 Israel 20.4 compare
- 83 Costa Rica 20.3 compare
More environment data for Bulgaria
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.1388 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.2198 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 13.01 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Bulgaria was 20.6 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1 in 2011.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9 in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Bulgaria ranks 80th out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. 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).