Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 35.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring. Measured in % of total territorial area.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 35.6% for terrestrial and marine protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria peaked at 35.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 28.3%, in 2016.
That places Bulgaria 20th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 35.0% | — |
| 2014 | 31.5% | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 32.8% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | -13.7% |
| 2017 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | +15.9% |
| 2020 | 33.1% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 33.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 33.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 35.6% | +7.6% |
| 2025 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 31.0% | 28.3% | 35.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.1% | 35.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More climate change data for Bulgaria
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,923 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 704.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,219 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 79.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,439 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,346 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 92.96 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.32 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Bulgaria was 35.6% in 2025, according to Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring.
- What is the highest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 35.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.3% in 2016.
- How does Bulgaria rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Bulgaria ranks 20th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring, published as part of Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.