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Trade between Bulgaria and Greece

In 2024, Bulgaria exported $2.7 billion to Greece and imported $1.8 billion. Bulgaria ran a surplus of $950 million with Greece, compared with a surplus of $470 million in 2019. Greece was Bulgaria’s 7th largest trading partner (4% of its trade), and Bulgaria was Greece’s 10th (3%).

Summary

Bulgaria → Greece
$2.7billion
Greece → Bulgaria
$1.8billion
Bulgaria’s balance
$950million

Balance

Bulgaria’s trade balance with Greece

Trade between Bulgaria and Greece grew 4.9-fold since 1995

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

  • Exports 2.7
  • Imports 1.8
  • Balance +0.9

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$472 million$446 million$26 million
1996$389 million$221 million$168 million
1997$495 million$249 million$246 million
1998$412 million$327 million$85 million
1999$374 million$337 million$37 million
2000$428 million$336 million$93 million
2001$446 million$413 million$33 million
2002$466 million$505 million-$39 million
2003$487 million$737 million-$249 million
2004$632 million$879 million-$248 million
2005$815 million$944 million-$128 million
2006$1 billion$1.2 billion-$184 million
2007$1.3 billion$1.5 billion-$268 million
2008$1.9 billion$1.7 billion$230 million
2009$1.4 billion$1.3 billion$116 million
2010$1.6 billion$1.5 billion$99 million
2011$1.8 billion$1.7 billion$61 million
2012$1.8 billion$1.9 billion-$76 million
2013$1.9 billion$1.8 billion$56 million
2014$1.9 billion$1.7 billion$230 million
2015$1.6 billion$1.3 billion$283 million
2016$1.7 billion$1.3 billion$443 million
2017$1.9 billion$1.4 billion$482 million
2018$2.1 billion$1.6 billion$521 million
2019$2.1 billion$1.6 billion$470 million
2020$1.8 billion$1.7 billion$171 million
2021$2.4 billion$2.4 billion-$14 million
2022$2.8 billion$3.2 billion-$446 million
2023$3 billion$2.4 billion$648 million
2024$2.7 billion$1.8 billion$950 million

What they sell each other

What Bulgaria sells to Greece

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

  1. Electricity$398 million · 14.7%
  2. Wheat$118 million · 4.4%
    466 thousand tonnes
  3. Sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oil$88 million · 3.2%
    85 thousand tonnes
  4. Glass bottles and jars$77 million · 2.8%
    121 thousand tonnes
  5. Unwrought lead$65 million · 2.4%
    28 thousand tonnes
  6. Poultry meat$53 million · 2%
    16 thousand tonnes
  7. Plastic packaging$48 million · 1.8%
    23 thousand tonnes
  8. Refined copper$48 million · 1.8%
    5 thousand tonnes · Bulgaria’s destinations
  9. Corn$46 million · 1.7%
    224 thousand tonnes
  10. Industrial fatty acids and oils$37 million · 1.4%
    36 thousand tonnes

What Greece sells to Bulgaria

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

  1. Copper scrap$109 million · 6.2%
    13 thousand tonnes
  2. Other processed tobacco$94 million · 5.3%
    2 thousand tonnes
  3. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$93 million · 5.3%
    2 thousand tonnes
  4. Refined petroleum$93 million · 5.3%
    121 thousand tonnes · Greece’s destinations
  5. Cigarettes and cigars$51 million · 2.9%
    5 thousand tonnes
  6. Polypropylene$51 million · 2.9%
    42 thousand tonnes
  7. Steel wire rod$45 million · 2.6%
    73 thousand tonnes
  8. Unwrought aluminum$40 million · 2.2%
    14 thousand tonnes
  9. Steel structures$34 million · 1.9%
    11 thousand tonnes
  10. Mixed fertilizers$30 million · 1.7%
    79 thousand tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Varna to Piraeus.

The estimated sea route between Varna and Piraeus is 519 nautical miles (961 km) long: ≈ 1–1.5 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Bosporus and Dardanelles.

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$1.3 billion · 29.6%
  2. Land$3.2 billion · 70.4%

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

How much each matters to the other

Greece was Bulgaria’s 7th largest trading partner (4% of its trade), and Bulgaria was Greece’s 10th (3%).

Greece in Bulgaria’s trade
4.3%
Greece’s rank among Bulgaria’s partners
7th
Bulgaria in Greece’s trade
3.1%
Bulgaria’s rank among Greece’s partners
10th

Compare with

Other partners of Bulgaria

Other partners of Greece

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.