Primary energy use in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Primary energy use was 193.41 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
193.41 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
70th
of 219 countries
All-time high
352.38 terawatt-hours
in 1988
All-time low
116.01 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use 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 terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, primary energy use in Bulgaria stood at 193.41 terawatt-hours.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Bulgaria peaked at 352.38 terawatt-hours in 1988 and was at its lowest, 116.01 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places Bulgaria 70th out of 219 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.
Primary energy use in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 116.01 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 124.63 terawatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 1967 | 145.38 terawatt-hours | +16.7% |
| 1968 | 164.38 terawatt-hours | +13.1% |
| 1969 | 182.47 terawatt-hours | +11.0% |
| 1970 | 205.15 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 1971 | 213.75 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 220.22 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 228.04 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 236.14 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 261 terawatt-hours | +10.5% |
| 1976 | 276.19 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 290.36 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1978 | 302.07 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 312.97 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 329.91 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 325.71 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 335.23 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 337.24 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 335.52 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 335.03 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 341.41 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 343.73 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 352.38 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 348.83 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 324.05 terawatt-hours | -7.1% |
| 1991 | 260.7 terawatt-hours | -19.5% |
| 1992 | 245.59 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 1993 | 262.8 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 253.96 terawatt-hours | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 271.73 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 269.74 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 255.24 terawatt-hours | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 244.51 terawatt-hours | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 214.96 terawatt-hours | -12.1% |
| 2000 | 215.73 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 225.5 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 218.42 terawatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 223.94 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 216.46 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 233.34 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 238.74 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 232.02 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 230.21 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 200.87 terawatt-hours | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 206.89 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 224.11 terawatt-hours | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 210.7 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 192.24 terawatt-hours | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 206.06 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 217.13 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 209.12 terawatt-hours | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 215.99 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 213.64 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 210.28 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 194.21 terawatt-hours | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 217.55 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 2022 | 225.84 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 192.49 terawatt-hours | -14.8% |
| 2024 | 189.53 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 193.41 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 193.41 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 158.21 terawatt-hours, 1.2× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 193.41 terawatt-hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 208.03 terawatt-hours, 93% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 146.58 terawatt-hours | 116.01 terawatt-hours | 182.47 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 254.59 terawatt-hours | 205.15 terawatt-hours | 312.97 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 338.5 terawatt-hours | 325.71 terawatt-hours | 352.38 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 260.33 terawatt-hours | 214.96 terawatt-hours | 324.05 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 223.52 terawatt-hours | 200.87 terawatt-hours | 238.74 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 210.62 terawatt-hours | 192.24 terawatt-hours | 224.11 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 202.17 terawatt-hours | 189.53 terawatt-hours | 225.84 terawatt-hours | 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 primary energy use in Bulgaria?
- Primary energy use in Bulgaria was 193.41 terawatt-hours 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 primary energy use recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 352.38 terawatt-hours in 1988.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 116.01 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Bulgaria rank for primary energy use?
- Bulgaria ranks 70th out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. 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 Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.