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.
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
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 46.68 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 7.25 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 2.05 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2479 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.7282 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0131 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 7.37 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.022 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0476 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 4.26 Mt CO2e (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.