Environment
Bulgaria
Climate
temperate climate characterized by cold, wet winters and hot, arid summers
Land use
other
17.7% (2023 est.)
forest
36.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
46.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 32.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 12.7% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
76.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
2.859 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
29.8% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
atmospheric contamination due to industrial discharges; waterways contaminated with untreated sewage, heavy metals, and detergents; deforestation; degradation of forests caused by air pollution and acid precipitation; soil pollution from heavy metals resulting from metallurgical facilities and industrial byproducts
Total water withdrawal
municipal
838 million cubic meters (2022)
industrial
3.879 billion cubic meters (2022)
agricultural
726.434 million cubic meters (2022)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
33.465 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
5.021 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
14.486 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
13.958 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
18.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
21.3 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements