Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 9.65 million trips in 2022. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria, 1995–2022
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria is 9.65 million trips, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 52.7% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria peaked at 10.79 million trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.24 million trips, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 22nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7.81 million trips | — |
| 1996 | 6.66 million trips | -14.8% |
| 1997 | 7.36 million trips | +10.5% |
| 1998 | 5.11 million trips | -30.6% |
| 1999 | 4.89 million trips | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 4.74 million trips | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 4.92 million trips | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 5.38 million trips | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 6.03 million trips | +11.9% |
| 2004 | 6.71 million trips | +11.4% |
| 2005 | 6.94 million trips | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 7.17 million trips | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 7.35 million trips | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 8.12 million trips | +10.4% |
| 2009 | 6.80 million trips | -16.2% |
| 2010 | 7.44 million trips | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 7.74 million trips | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 7.83 million trips | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 8.17 million trips | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 8.19 million trips | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 8.13 million trips | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 9.18 million trips | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 10.03 million trips | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 10.64 million trips | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 10.79 million trips | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 4.24 million trips | -60.7% |
| 2021 | 6.32 million trips | +49.0% |
| 2022 | 9.65 million trips | +52.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 9.65 million trips is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.47 million trips, 3.9× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 9.65 million trips is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.42 million trips, 2.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -60.7% | 10.79 million trips | 4.24 million trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.36 million trips | 4.89 million trips | 7.81 million trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.42 million trips | 4.74 million trips | 8.12 million trips | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.81 million trips | 7.44 million trips | 10.79 million trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.74 million trips | 4.24 million trips | 9.65 million trips | 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 for personal purposes in Bulgaria?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Bulgaria was 9.65 million trips in 2022, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 10.79 million trips in 2019.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.24 million trips in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Bulgaria ranks 22nd out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. 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 for personal purposes. 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 international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.