Map of Bulgaria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.


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Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 110,879 km²
Land: 108,489 km²
Water: 2,390 km²
Comparative: almost identical in size to Virginia; slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1,806 km
Border countries: (5) Greece 472 km; Macedonia 162 km; Romania 605 km; Serbia 344 km; Turkey 223 km

Coastline: 354 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Elevation
Highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 472 m

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 46.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 29.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 15.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 36.7% (2018 est.)
Other: 16.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 987 km² (2013)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 840 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 3.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 760 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 21.3 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; landslides

Geography
Note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia


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Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations: 6,827,736 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: -0.66% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 23.8% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bulgarian(s)
Adjective: Bulgarian

Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)
Note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 9-11% of Bulgaria's population

Languages: Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.03% (male 492,147/female 465,612)
15-64 years: 65.17% (male 2,263,479/female 2,185,969)
65 years and over: 20.81% (2023 est.) (male 570,425/female 850,104)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 57.3
Youth dependency ratio: 22
Elderly dependency ratio: 35.3
Potential support ratio: 2.8 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 44.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 43 years
Female: 46.6 years

Population growth rate: -0.66% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations

Urbanization
Urban population: 76.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: -0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 17.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 41.71 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 6.77 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 26.4 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 72.6 years
Female: 79.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.5% of population
Improved rural: 97.4% of population
Improved total: 99% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved rural: 2.6% of population
Unimproved total: 1% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 8.5% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 4.2 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 7.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 25% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 11.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 4.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 1.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 4.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 39% (2020 est.)
Male: 40.9% (2020 est.)
Female: 37.1% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1.9% (2014)

Education expenditures: 4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.4%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 98.2% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 14.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 14%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
Conventional short form: Bulgaria
Local long form: Republika Bulgaria
Local short form: Bulgaria
Former: Kingdom of Bulgaria, People's Republic of Bulgaria
Etymology: named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Sofia
Geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: named after the Saint Sofia Church in the city, parts of which date back to the 4th century A.D.

Administrative divisions: 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Sofia-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 13 July 1991
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly or by the president of the republic; passage requires three-fourths majority vote of National Assembly members in three ballots; signed by the National Assembly chairperson; note - under special circumstances, a "Grand National Assembly" is elected with the authority to write a new constitution and amend certain articles of the constitution, including those affecting basic civil rights and national sovereignty; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in each of several readings; amended several times, last in 2015

Legal system: civil law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bulgaria
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017); Vice President Iliana IOTOVA (since 22 January 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nikolay DENKOV (since 6 June 2023)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly
Elections/appointments: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 and 21 November 2021 (next to be held in fall 2,026); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list, proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 2 April 2023 (next election to be held in 2,027)
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - GERB-SDS 25.4%, PP-DB 23.5%, Revival 13.6%, DPS 13.2%, BSP for Bulgaria 8.6%, ITN 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party/coalition GERB-SDS 69, PP-DB 64, Revival 37, DPS 36, BSP for Bulgaria 23, ITN 11; composition - men 182, women 58, percent of women 24.2%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges); Supreme Administrative Court (organized into 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the judiciary
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of 4 justices every 3 years
Subordinate courts: appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Georgi Velikov PANAYOTOV (since 7 June 2022)
In the us chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387 5,770; [1] (202) 387-0174; [1] (202) 299-0273, [1] (202) 483-1386
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 234-7,973
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth MERTEN (since 7 April 2023)
From the us embassy: 16, Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408
From the us mailing address: 5,740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20,521-5,740
From the us telephone: [359] (2) 937-5,100
From the us FAX: [359] (2) 937-5,320
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue
Note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

National symbols: lion; national colors: white, green, red

National anthem
Name: "Mila Rodino" (Dear Homeland)
Lyrics/music: Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV
Note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 10 (7 cultural, 3 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: upper-middle-income EU economy; improving living standards and very robust economic growth; coal-based infrastructure; legacy structural vulnerabilities and widespread corruption; increasing Russian economic relations, particularly through energy trade

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 16% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 19.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 66.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -64.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 28% (2017 est.)
Services: 67.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat, maize, sunflower seed, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, grapes, tomatoes, watermelons

Industries: electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, automotive parts, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel; outsourcing centers

Industrial production growth rate: 1.72% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 3.291 million (2021 est.)
Note: number of employed persons

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 14.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 14%

Population below poverty line: 23.8% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 40.3 (2019 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.9%
Highest 10%: 31.2% (2017)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $24.487 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $26.544 billion (2020 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 1.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 20.27% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
Note: defined by the EU's Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and loans; general government sector comprises the subsectors: central government, state government, local government, and social security funds

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.22% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.14% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Germany 16%, Romania 8%, Italy 7%, Turkey 7%, Greece 6% (2019)
Commodities: copper, wheat, electricity, refined petroleum, packaged medicines (2021)
Commodities note: Bulgarian amphetamine production remains a significant illicit trade export

Imports:
Partners: Germany 11%, Russia 9%, Italy 7%, Romania 7%, Turkey 7% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, copper, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 99.8% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 99.9% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 99.5% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 11.097 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 30,905,170,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 7.115 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 3.707 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.767 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 36.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 44.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 9.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 22.298 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 23.213 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 35,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 675,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 2.366 billion metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 4,500 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 97,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 119,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 15 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 144,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 92,720 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 49,260 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 62.439 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Consumption: 2,929,401,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 2.747 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Imports: 2,950,157,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 38.373 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 20.483 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 12.248 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 5.642 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 103.924 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 691,270 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 7,902,756 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 4 national terrestrial TV stations with 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned; a vast array of TV stations are available from cable and satellite TV providers; state-owned national radio broadcasts over 3 networks; large number of private radio stations broadcasting, especially in urban areas

Internet
Country code: .bg
Users total: 5.175 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 75% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,115,053 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: the GDMP includes the Gendarmerie, a special police force with military status deployed to secure important facilities, buildings and infrastructure, to respond to riots, and to counter militant threats

Military service age and obligation: 18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription ended in 2007; service obligation 6-9 months (2023)
Note 1: in 2021, women comprised about 17% of the Bulgarian military's full-time personnel
Note 2: in 2020, Bulgaria announced a program to allow every citizen up to the age of 40 to join the armed forces for 6 months of military service in the voluntary reserve

Space program
Overview: has a long history of involvement in space-related activities going back to the 1960s; develops, produces, and operates satellites, mostly with foreign partners; researches, develops, and produces other space technologies, including those related to astrophysics, remote sensing, data exploitation, optics, and electronics; has specialized in producing scientific instruments for space research; has more than 20 research institutes; Cooperating State of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2015; cooperates with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of the ESA and EU (and bi-laterally with their member states), India, Japan, Russia, and the US (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 8 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 44
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,022,645 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.38 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: LZ

Airports: 68 (2021)
With paved runways: 57
With paved runways civil airports: 5
With paved runways military airports: 6
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 1
With paved runways other airports: 45
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 11
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 2,765 km gas, 346 km oil, 378 km refined products (2017)

Railways
Total: 4,029 km (2020) 2,871 km electrified

Roadways
Total: 19,512 km (2011)
Paved: 19,235 km (2011) (includes 458 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 277 km (2011)
Note: does not include Category IV local roads

Waterways: 470 km (2009)

Merchant marine
Total: 80 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 3, general cargo 14, oil tanker 8, other 55

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Burgas, Varna (Black Sea)


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 22,226 (Syria) (mid-year 2022); 51,860 (Ukraine) (as of 19 December 2023)
Stateless persons: 1,129 (2022)
Note: 100,671 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023); Bulgaria is predominantly a transit country

Illicit drugs: source country for amphetamine tablets