Passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Passenger-kilometers by rail was 1.21 billion million passenger-km in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
1.21 billion million passenger-km
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
49th
of 101 countries
All-time high
5.89 billion million passenger-km
in 1997
All-time low
1.12 billion million passenger-km
in 2020
Years of data
27
1995–2021
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria, 1995–2021
Source: International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million passenger-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria is 1.21 billion million passenger-km, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria peaked at 5.89 billion million passenger-km in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.12 billion million passenger-km, in 2020.
Bulgaria ranks 49th of 101 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.
Passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | million passenger-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.69 billion million passenger-km | — |
| 1996 | 5.07 billion million passenger-km | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 5.89 billion million passenger-km | +16.2% |
| 1998 | 4.74 billion million passenger-km | -19.5% |
| 1999 | 3.82 billion million passenger-km | -19.4% |
| 2000 | 3.47 billion million passenger-km | -9.1% |
| 2001 | 2.99 billion million passenger-km | -13.9% |
| 2002 | 2.60 billion million passenger-km | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 2.52 billion million passenger-km | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.40 billion million passenger-km | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 2.39 billion million passenger-km | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.42 billion million passenger-km | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.42 billion million passenger-km | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.33 billion million passenger-km | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 2.14 billion million passenger-km | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 2.10 billion million passenger-km | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 2.07 billion million passenger-km | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.88 billion million passenger-km | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 1.83 billion million passenger-km | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 1.70 billion million passenger-km | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 1.55 billion million passenger-km | -8.8% |
| 2016 | 1.46 billion million passenger-km | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 1.44 billion million passenger-km | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.48 billion million passenger-km | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.52 billion million passenger-km | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 1.12 billion million passenger-km | -26.6% |
| 2021 | 1.21 billion million passenger-km | +7.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 1.21 billion million passenger-km is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.44 billion million passenger-km, 22% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 1.21 billion million passenger-km is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.62 billion million passenger-km, 46% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.84 billion million passenger-km | 3.82 billion million passenger-km | 5.89 billion million passenger-km | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.57 billion million passenger-km | 2.14 billion million passenger-km | 3.47 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.70 billion million passenger-km | 1.44 billion million passenger-km | 2.10 billion million passenger-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.16 billion million passenger-km | 1.12 billion million passenger-km | 1.21 billion million passenger-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 46 Vietnam 1.52 billion million passenger-km compare
- 47 Cuba 1.28 billion million passenger-km compare
- 48 Syria 1.22 billion million passenger-km compare
- 50 Malaysia 929.34 million million passenger-km compare
- 51 Ireland 870.00 million million passenger-km compare
- 52 New Zealand 802.03 million million passenger-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 passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria?
- Passenger-kilometers by rail in Bulgaria was 1.21 billion million passenger-km in 2021, according to International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.89 billion million passenger-km in 1997.
- What is the lowest passenger-kilometers by rail recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.12 billion million passenger-km in 2020.
- How does Bulgaria rank for passenger-kilometers by rail?
- Bulgaria ranks 49th out of 101 countries with data for 2021.
- Is passenger-kilometers by rail rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from International Union of Railways (UIC) and OECD, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Passenger-kilometers by rail. 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
The number of passengers transported by rail, multiplied by the kilometers traveled. This is measured in passenger-kilometers.