Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 5.56 million arrivals in 2022. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria, 1995–2022
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
In 2022, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria stood at 5.56 million arrivals.
That represents a change of up 141.6% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria peaked at 9.27 million arrivals in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.29 million arrivals, in 2020.
That places Bulgaria 48th out of 203 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.47 million arrivals | — |
| 1996 | 2.79 million arrivals | -19.4% |
| 1997 | 2.98 million arrivals | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 2.67 million arrivals | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 2.47 million arrivals | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 2.79 million arrivals | +12.7% |
| 2001 | 3.19 million arrivals | +14.4% |
| 2002 | 3.43 million arrivals | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 4.05 million arrivals | +17.9% |
| 2004 | 4.63 million arrivals | +14.4% |
| 2005 | 4.84 million arrivals | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 5.16 million arrivals | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 5.15 million arrivals | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 5.78 million arrivals | +12.2% |
| 2009 | 5.74 million arrivals | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 6.05 million arrivals | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 6.33 million arrivals | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 6.54 million arrivals | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 6.90 million arrivals | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 7.31 million arrivals | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 7.10 million arrivals | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 8.25 million arrivals | +16.2% |
| 2017 | 8.88 million arrivals | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 9.27 million arrivals | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 7.78 million arrivals | -16.2% |
| 2020 | 1.29 million arrivals | -83.4% |
| 2021 | 2.30 million arrivals | +78.3% |
| 2022 | 5.56 million arrivals | +141.6% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 5.56 million arrivals is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.67 million arrivals, 1.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 5.56 million arrivals is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.07 million arrivals, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +141.6% | 2.30 million arrivals | 5.56 million arrivals |
| 2020 | -83.4% | 7.78 million arrivals | 1.29 million arrivals |
| 2021 | +78.3% | 1.29 million arrivals | 2.30 million arrivals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.88 million arrivals | 2.47 million arrivals | 3.47 million arrivals | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.47 million arrivals | 2.79 million arrivals | 5.78 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.44 million arrivals | 6.05 million arrivals | 9.27 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.05 million arrivals | 1.29 million arrivals | 5.56 million arrivals | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Bulgaria was 5.56 million arrivals in 2022, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.27 million arrivals in 2018.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.29 million arrivals in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Bulgaria ranks 48th out of 203 countries with data for 2022.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.