That dollar amount results from a 13.7% increase compared to $41.4 billion five years prior in 2021.
Since 2024, the overall value of Bulgarian exports flatlined via a 0.9% gain from $46.6 billion.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Bulgarian lev depreciated by -4.4% against the US dollar since 2021 but appreciated by 4.5% from 2024 to 2025. Bulgaria’s stronger local currency compared to 2024 makes its exports paid for in weaker US dollars relatively more expensive for international buyers starting from American currency.
Largest International Customers for Bulgaria’s Exports
The latest available country-specific data shows that 61.1% of products exported from Bulgaria was bought by importers in: Germany (14.3% of the Bulgarian total), Romania (10.5%), Türkiye (7.2%), Italy (6.5%), Greece (6%), France (3.2%), Poland (2.6%), Serbia (2.5%), Spain (2.15%), United States of America (also 2.15%), United Kingdom (2.07%) and Netherlands (1.98%).
From a continental perspective, 76.3% of Bulgaria’s exports by value was delivered to fellow European countries while 15.9% was sold to importers in Asia.
Bulgaria shipped another 3.9% worth of goods to buyers in Africa.
Smaller percentages went to customers in North America (3.2%), Latin America (0.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.2%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. Fellow EU member states bought 61.7% of Bulgarian export sales in 2025. That percentage belies a decline from 64.7% for the prior year.
Given Bulgaria’s population of 6.32 million people, its total US$47 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $7,450 for every resident in the Southeast European nation. That dollar metric surpasses the average $7,300 per person one year earlier during 2024.
Bulgaria’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Bulgarian global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Bulgaria.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$5.2 billion (11% of total exports)
- Copper: $4.3 billion (9%)
- Machinery including computers: $3.6 billion (7.6%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $3.4 billion (7.3%)
- Arms, ammunition: $2.6 billion (5.5%)
- Vehicles: $1.9 billion (4%)
- Cereals: $1.71 billion (3.6%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $1.69 billion (3.6%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $1.5 billion (3.2%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $1.4 billion (2.9%)
Bulgaria’s top 10 exports accounted for 57.8% of the overall value of Bulgarian shipments.
Ores, slag and ash represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 24.4% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was the vehicles groupings via a 17.9% advance.
Bulgaria’s shipments of pharmaceuticals posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 15.8%.
The leading decliner among Bulgaria’s top 10 export categories was copper, thanks to a -9.9% year-over-year drop.
At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code, Bulgaria’s most valuable export product was refined copper plus unwrought alloys (4.4% of the Bulgarian total). Following that were Bulgary’s exports of electrical energy (3.3%), processed petroleum oils (3.2%), wheat (2.9%), medication mixes in dosage (also 2.9%), precious metals ores and concentrates (2.3%), unrefined copper (1.7%), sunflower seeds (1.6%), sunflower, safflower or cotton-seed oil (1.5%), then copper plates, sheets and strips (1.4%).
Products Generating Bulgaria’s Largest Trade Surpluses
The following types of Bulgarian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Copper: US$2.7 billion (Down by -20.2% since 2024)
- Arms, ammunition: $2.1 billion (2024 data unavailable)
- Cereals: $1.5 billion (Up by 4.9%)
- Glass: $451.6 million (Down by -3.8%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $274.1 million (Up by 353.7%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $249.2 million (Down by -5%)
- Oil seeds: $229.9 million (Up by 3856.1%)
- Lead: $205.9 million (Up by 1.6%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $195.9 million (Down by -15.5%)
- Zinc: $185.2 million (Up by 0.4%)
Bulgaria has positive net exports in the international trade of copper. In turn, these cashflows indicate Bulgaria’s strong competitive advantages under the copper product category.
Products Causing Bulgaria’s Worst Trade Deficits
Bulgaria incurred an overall trade deficit of -US$12.3 billion during 2025, expanding by 71.9% from -$7.2 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2024.
Below are exports from Bulgaria that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Bulgaria’s goods trail Bulgarian importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$4.6 billion (Up by 53% since 2024)
- Vehicles: -$1.9 billion (Down by -3.4%)
- Machinery including computers: -$1.8 billion (Up by 17.1%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.7 billion (Up by 125.6%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$1 billion (Up by 9.7%)
- Iron, steel: -$959.1 million (Up by 14.2%)
- Ores, slag, ash: -$958.8 million (Down by -40.2%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: -$853 million (Up by 325.7%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$816.1 million (Up by 7.6%)
- Gems, precious metals: -$511.8 million (Up by 180.9%)
Bulgaria has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for mineral fuels-related goods as well as vehicles. Historically, leading loss catalysts include crude oil, petroleum gas and coal plus cars, tractors and trucks.
Bulgarian Export Companies
Not one Bulgarian corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists companies from Bulgaria including international trade players. Selected examples are shown below.
- Armimex (weapons, ammunition)
- Astika Brewery (beer)
- Bulgartabac (cigarettes)
- Chimimport (chemicals)
- Kremikovtzi AD (cast iron, steel)
- LUKOIL Neftochim Burgas (petrochemical products)
- Maxeurope (bicycles, childcare products)
- Navibulgar (shipping company)
- Sofia Mel (bread)
- Vitta Foods (frozen pastry products)
In macroeconomic terms, Bulgaria’s total exported goods represent 17.8% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($264.7 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 17.8% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 18.5% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Bulgaria’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Bulgaria’s unemployment rate averaged 4.1% for 2025, down from an average 4.234% one year earlier in 2024 according to the International Monetary Fund statistics.
Bulgaria’s capital city is Sofia.
See also Bulgaria’s Top Trading Partners, Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Romania’s Top Trading Partners and Italy’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Europe: Bulgaria. Accessed on May 5, 2026
EXCHANGE-RATES.org, Bulgarian Lev (BGN) To US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate History. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 5, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on May 5, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Bulgaria. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Bulgaria. Accessed on May 5, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on May 5, 2026