Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 6.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria stood at 6.7%.
The figure is down 8.5% on the previous year and down 42.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria peaked at 11.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1994.
That places Bulgaria 115th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 5.4% | — |
| 1986 | 5.6% | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 5.8% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 5.8% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 6.1% | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | -35.9% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | +43.4% |
| 1992 | 5.4% | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | -11.8% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -27.6% |
| 1995 | 5.2% | +52.2% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | +30.0% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +16.0% |
| 1999 | 7.2% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -10.0% |
| 2001 | 3.8% | -41.4% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | +32.6% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | +40.4% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 9.8% | +29.0% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | -28.7% |
| 2008 | 6.3% | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | +29.3% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +35.1% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -47.5% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | +19.1% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +37.2% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | +18.3% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | -24.9% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -27.6% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | +75.4% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | -39.5% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 10.2% | +45.3% |
| 2022 | 7.6% | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 7.3% | -5.2% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | -8.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 6.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.0%, 6.8× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 6.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.5%, 58% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.7% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.6% | 3.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.0% | 3.8% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 5.7% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 6.7% | 10.2% | 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 electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria?
- Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Bulgaria was 6.7% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 11.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1994.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
- Bulgaria ranks 115th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.