Share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of primary energy from coal was 20.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
20.3%
Change on year
up 8.4%
World rank
21st
of 79 countries
All-time high
60.1%
in 1965
All-time low
18.7%
in 2024
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria is 20.3%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 8.4% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria peaked at 60.1% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 2024.
That places Bulgaria 21st out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 60.1% | — |
| 1966 | 57.7% | -4.0% |
| 1967 | 53.7% | -6.9% |
| 1968 | 51.6% | -3.9% |
| 1969 | 46.7% | -9.4% |
| 1970 | 45.5% | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 43.1% | -5.3% |
| 1972 | 43.1% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 41.9% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 39.8% | -5.1% |
| 1975 | 37.8% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 33.3% | -11.9% |
| 1977 | 31.5% | -5.3% |
| 1978 | 32.3% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 32.1% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 32.0% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 32.9% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 33.6% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 33.2% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 33.5% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 35.0% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 35.3% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 35.0% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 31.8% | -9.1% |
| 1989 | 32.8% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 29.6% | -9.7% |
| 1991 | 32.9% | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 36.8% | +11.6% |
| 1993 | 37.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 35.0% | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 32.8% | -6.5% |
| 1996 | 32.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 39.6% | +20.5% |
| 1998 | 39.4% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 36.9% | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 33.9% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 37.0% | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 35.2% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 38.4% | +9.2% |
| 2004 | 38.0% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 34.5% | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 34.2% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 39.6% | +15.8% |
| 2008 | 38.1% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 36.7% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 38.7% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 42.0% | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 38.2% | -9.1% |
| 2013 | 36.0% | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 35.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 35.1% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -9.8% |
| 2017 | 32.9% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 29.7% | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 24.9% | -11.5% |
| 2021 | 28.0% | +12.6% |
| 2022 | 32.2% | +14.8% |
| 2023 | 22.3% | -30.6% |
| 2024 | 18.7% | -16.1% |
| 2025 | 20.3% | +8.4% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 20.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.9%, 6.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 20.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.4%, 5.9× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.0% | 46.7% | 60.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 38.0% | 31.5% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.5% | 31.8% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.3% | 29.6% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.6% | 33.9% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.8% | 28.1% | 42.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.4% | 18.7% | 32.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More energy & mining data for Bulgaria
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 12.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria?
- Share of primary energy from coal in Bulgaria was 20.3% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 60.1% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 2024.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- Bulgaria ranks 21st out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.