Share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Share of land area that is protected was 44.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
44.3%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
6th
of 213 countries
All-time high
45.2%
in 2013
All-time low
34.7%
in 2016
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria, 2013–2025

010203040502013201920252013: 45.2 % of total land area2014: 40.6 % of total land area2015: 40.6 % of total land area2016: 34.7 % of total land area2017: 34.7 % of total land area2018: 34.7 % of total land area2019: 40.6 % of total land area2020: 41 % of total land area2021: 41 % of total land area2022: 41 % of total land area2023: 41 % of total land area2024: 44.3 % of total land area2025: 44.3 % of total land area

Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total land area.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria is 44.3%, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 9.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria peaked at 45.2% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 2016.

Bulgaria ranks 6th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 38.7% 34.7% 45.2% 7
2020s 42.1% 41.0% 44.3% 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 3 Venezuela 56.8% compare
  2. 4 Bhutan 51.6% compare
  3. 7 Turks and Caicos Islands 43.5% compare
  4. 8 Guinea 42.6% compare
  5. 9 Hong Kong 42.0% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria?
Share of land area that is protected in Bulgaria was 44.3% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of land area that is protected recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 2013.
What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 2016.
How does Bulgaria rank for share of land area that is protected?
Bulgaria ranks 6th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area that is protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of land area that is protected
Unit
% of total land area
Source
Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
213 places, 2,746 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.