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Trade between Bulgaria and Germany

In 2024, Bulgaria exported $7.3 billion to Germany and imported $5.2 billion. Bulgaria ran a surplus of $2.2 billion with Germany, compared with a surplus of $1.3 billion in 2019. Germany was Bulgaria’s largest trading partner (12% of its trade), and Bulgaria was Germany’s 38th (0.4%).

Summary

Bulgaria → Germany
$7.3billion
Germany → Bulgaria
$5.2billion
Bulgaria’s balance
$2.2billion

Balance

Bulgaria’s trade balance with Germany

Trade between Bulgaria and Germany grew 8.7-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Bulgaria’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 7.3
  • Imports 5.2
  • Balance +2.2

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$545 million$890 million-$345 million
1996$579 million$597 million-$18 million
1997$570 million$599 million-$29 million
1998$595 million$716 million-$122 million
1999$525 million$827 million-$302 million
2000$548 million$920 million-$372 million
2001$627 million$1.1 billion-$464 million
2002$685 million$1.2 billion-$481 million
2003$964 million$1.6 billion-$607 million
2004$1.2 billion$2.1 billion-$916 million
2005$1.3 billion$2.4 billion-$1.1 billion
2006$1.7 billion$2.9 billion-$1.1 billion
2007$1.9 billion$3.3 billion-$1.4 billion
2008$2.1 billion$4 billion-$1.9 billion
2009$1.9 billion$2.5 billion-$576 million
2010$2.2 billion$2.9 billion-$666 million
2011$3.4 billion$3.4 billion-$24 million
2012$2.9 billion$3.5 billion-$645 million
2013$3.6 billion$3.5 billion$119 million
2014$3.6 billion$4 billion-$350 million
2015$3.5 billion$3.5 billion-$71 million
2016$3.8 billion$3.5 billion$274 million
2017$4.5 billion$3.9 billion$611 million
2018$5.3 billion$4.4 billion$932 million
2019$5.5 billion$4.2 billion$1.3 billion
2020$5.6 billion$4 billion$1.7 billion
2021$6.6 billion$5.2 billion$1.4 billion
2022$7.4 billion$5.7 billion$1.7 billion
2023$7 billion$6.1 billion$858 million
2024$7.3 billion$5.2 billion$2.2 billion

What they sell each other

What Bulgaria sells to Germany

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Unrefined copper$1.2 billion · 16%
    98 thousand tonnes
  2. Precious metal ore$762 million · 10.4%
    1 thousand tonnes
  3. Precious metal scrap$447 million · 6.1%
    1 thousand tonnes
  4. Cables and wire$257 million · 3.5%
    17 thousand tonnes · Germany’s sources
  5. Auto parts$240 million · 3.3%
    19 thousand tonnes · Germany’s sources
  6. Control panels$196 million · 2.7%
    3 thousand tonnes
  7. Low-voltage switches and connectors$189 million · 2.6%
    5 thousand tonnes
  8. Motorcycles$180 million · 2.5%
    3 thousand tonnes · Germany’s sources
  9. Thermometers, barometers and hygrometers$167 million · 2.3%
    1 thousand tonnes
  10. Copper plates and strip$162 million · 2.2%
    16 thousand tonnes

What Germany sells to Bulgaria

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Cars$499 million · 9.7%
    23 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  2. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$302 million · 5.9%
    7 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  3. Auto parts$109 million · 2.1%
    10 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  4. Chocolate$109 million · 2.1%
    14 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  5. Valves and taps$98 million · 1.9%
    1 thousand tonnes
  6. Parts for switchgear$93 million · 1.8%
    6 thousand tonnes
  7. Vaccines, blood and antisera$92 million · 1.8%
    142 tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  8. Other industrial machines$78 million · 1.5%
    3 thousand tonnes
  9. Low-voltage switches and connectors$75 million · 1.5%
    6 thousand tonnes
  10. Tractors$73 million · 1.4%
    8 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Varna to Hamburg.

The estimated sea route between Varna and Hamburg is 3,715 nautical miles (6,880 km) long: ≈ 8.5–11 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Bosporus, Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar and Strait of Dover.

Sailing estimate without port calls, waiting or transshipment; not a schedule. One main reference port per country: in large countries it does not represent all of its ports.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$8.5 billion · 68.3%
  2. Air$4 billion · 31.7%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

Germany was Bulgaria’s largest trading partner (12% of its trade), and Bulgaria was Germany’s 38th (0.4%).

Germany in Bulgaria’s trade
12.1%
Germany’s rank among Bulgaria’s partners
1st
Bulgaria in Germany’s trade
0.4%
Bulgaria’s rank among Germany’s partners
38th

Compare with

Other partners of Bulgaria

Other partners of Germany

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.