Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 626,000 million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
626,000 million ton-km
Change on year
down 27.3%
World rank
128th
of 180 countries
All-time high
31.60 million million ton-km
in 1997
All-time low
31,000 million ton-km
in 2002
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria is 626,000 million ton-km, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 27.3% on the previous year and down 63.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria peaked at 31.60 million million ton-km in 1997 and was at its lowest, 31,000 million ton-km, in 2002.
Bulgaria ranks 128th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.90 million million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 5.10 million million ton-km | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 5.60 million million ton-km | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 6.30 million million ton-km | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 6.50 million million ton-km | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 6.50 million million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7.00 million million ton-km | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 7.20 million million ton-km | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 7.60 million million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 8.10 million million ton-km | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 8.90 million million ton-km | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 9.00 million million ton-km | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 9.50 million million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 10.50 million million ton-km | +10.5% |
| 1984 | 11.70 million million ton-km | +11.4% |
| 1985 | 8.00 million million ton-km | -31.6% |
| 1986 | 8.70 million million ton-km | +8.8% |
| 1987 | 9.60 million million ton-km | +10.3% |
| 1988 | 9.00 million million ton-km | -6.2% |
| 1989 | 7.70 million million ton-km | -14.4% |
| 1990 | 8.00 million million ton-km | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 5.90 million million ton-km | -26.2% |
| 1992 | 14.40 million million ton-km | +144.1% |
| 1993 | 27.10 million million ton-km | +88.2% |
| 1994 | 30.90 million million ton-km | +14.0% |
| 1995 | 29.90 million million ton-km | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 23.90 million million ton-km | -20.1% |
| 1997 | 31.60 million million ton-km | +32.2% |
| 1998 | 30.40 million million ton-km | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 12.40 million million ton-km | -59.2% |
| 2000 | 5.96 million million ton-km | -52.0% |
| 2001 | 2.40 million million ton-km | -59.6% |
| 2002 | 31,000 million ton-km | -98.7% |
| 2003 | 628,000 million ton-km | +1925.8% |
| 2004 | 2.56 million million ton-km | +307.3% |
| 2005 | 3.10 million million ton-km | +21.4% |
| 2006 | 3.38 million million ton-km | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 2.95 million million ton-km | -12.7% |
| 2008 | 2.28 million million ton-km | -22.8% |
| 2009 | 1.73 million million ton-km | -24.1% |
| 2010 | 2.14 million million ton-km | +23.4% |
| 2011 | 2.30 million million ton-km | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 1.93 million million ton-km | -15.9% |
| 2013 | 1.73 million million ton-km | -10.5% |
| 2014 | 1.72 million million ton-km | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.53 million million ton-km | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 1.77 million million ton-km | +15.6% |
| 2017 | 1.72 million million ton-km | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 1.38 million million ton-km | -20.0% |
| 2019 | 1.26 million million ton-km | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 1.02 million million ton-km | -18.7% |
| 2021 | 58,087 million ton-km | -94.3% |
| 2022 | 860,710 million ton-km | +1381.8% |
| 2023 | 626,000 million ton-km | -27.3% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 626,000 million ton-km is below the median for high income countries, which is 266.33 million million ton-km, 0% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 626,000 million ton-km is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.72 million million ton-km, 1% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +1925.8% | 31,000 million ton-km | 628,000 million ton-km |
| 2022 | +1381.8% | 58,087 million ton-km | 860,710 million ton-km |
| 2004 | +307.3% | 628,000 million ton-km | 2.56 million million ton-km |
| 1992 | +144.1% | 5.90 million million ton-km | 14.40 million million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.48 million million ton-km | 4.90 million million ton-km | 8.10 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.26 million million ton-km | 7.70 million million ton-km | 11.70 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.45 million million ton-km | 5.90 million million ton-km | 31.60 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.50 million million ton-km | 31,000 million ton-km | 5.96 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.75 million million ton-km | 1.26 million million ton-km | 2.30 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 641,699 million ton-km | 58,087 million ton-km | 1.02 million million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 125 Afghanistan 794,172 million ton-km compare
- 126 Antigua and Barbuda 701,661 million ton-km compare
- 127 Kyrgyzstan 654,975 million ton-km compare
- 129 Guatemala 539,540 million ton-km compare
- 130 Nicaragua 535,000 million ton-km compare
- 131 Bhutan 501,684 million ton-km compare
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Bulgaria was 626,000 million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 31.60 million million ton-km in 1997.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 31,000 million ton-km in 2002.
- How does Bulgaria rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Bulgaria ranks 128th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.