Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) was 44.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial 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 land area.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 44.3% for terrestrial protected areas in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial protected areas 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.
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 45.2% | — |
| 2014 | 40.6% | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 34.7% | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 34.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 34.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 40.6% | +17.0% |
| 2020 | 41.0% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 41.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 41.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 41.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 44.3% | +8.0% |
| 2025 | 44.3% | +0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 44.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 21.5%, 2.1× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 44.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 22.1%, 2.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 38.7% | 34.7% | 45.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 41.0% | 44.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More climate change data for Bulgaria
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 176.16 million kg (2050)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial protected areas in Bulgaria?
- Terrestrial protected areas in Bulgaria was 44.3% 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 protected areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 2013.
- What is the lowest terrestrial protected areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 2016.
- How does Bulgaria rank for terrestrial protected areas?
- Bulgaria ranks 6th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial protected areas 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: 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 protected areas (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 areas, unclassified areas, littoral (intertidal) areas, and sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.