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Trade between Bulgaria and the Netherlands

In 2024, Bulgaria exported $873 million to the Netherlands and imported $1.3 billion. Bulgaria ran a deficit of $394 million with the Netherlands, compared with a deficit of $405 million in 2019. The Netherlands was Bulgaria’s 11th largest trading partner (2% of its trade), and Bulgaria was the Netherlands’ 63rd (0.2%).

Summary

Bulgaria → Netherlands
$873million
Netherlands → Bulgaria
$1.3billion
Bulgaria’s balance
-$394million

Balance

Bulgaria’s trade balance with the Netherlands

Trade between Bulgaria and the Netherlands grew 9.6-fold since 1995

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

  • Exports 0.9
  • Imports 1.3
  • Balance -0.4

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$118 million$106 million$12 million
1996$114 million$109 million$4 million
1997$120 million$101 million$19 million
1998$111 million$120 million-$9 million
1999$113 million$117 million-$4 million
2000$102 million$124 million-$22 million
2001$107 million$135 million-$28 million
2002$124 million$173 million-$49 million
2003$133 million$211 million-$77 million
2004$156 million$280 million-$124 million
2005$175 million$272 million-$97 million
2006$241 million$312 million-$71 million
2007$235 million$528 million-$293 million
2008$320 million$632 million-$312 million
2009$277 million$446 million-$169 million
2010$311 million$689 million-$377 million
2011$577 million$808 million-$231 million
2012$506 million$976 million-$470 million
2013$755 million$864 million-$109 million
2014$743 million$903 million-$160 million
2015$657 million$984 million-$327 million
2016$726 million$1 billion-$292 million
2017$784 million$1.2 billion-$429 million
2018$886 million$1.3 billion-$429 million
2019$895 million$1.3 billion-$405 million
2020$899 million$1.3 billion-$437 million
2021$1.1 billion$1.9 billion-$790 million
2022$1.5 billion$2.3 billion-$818 million
2023$1.1 billion$2.1 billion-$966 million
2024$873 million$1.3 billion-$394 million

What they sell each other

What Bulgaria sells to the Netherlands

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

  1. Sunflower seeds$93 million · 10.7%
    150 thousand tonnes
  2. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$47 million · 5.4%
    292 tonnes · the Netherlands’ sources
  3. Refined petroleum$38 million · 4.3%
    40 thousand tonnes · Bulgaria’s destinations
  4. Computer and office machine parts$32 million · 3.7%
    456 tonnes
  5. Coal tar oils$29 million · 3.4%
    41 thousand tonnes
  6. Refined copper$28 million · 3.3%
    4 thousand tonnes · Bulgaria’s destinations
  7. Cameras and broadcast equipment$26 million · 2.9%
    30 tonnes
  8. Refrigerators, freezers and heat pumps$23 million · 2.6%
    4 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ sources
  9. Plastic packaging$16 million · 1.9%
    6 thousand tonnes
  10. Motorcycles$14 million · 1.6%
    527 tonnes · the Netherlands’ sources

What the Netherlands sells to Bulgaria

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

  1. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$179 million · 14.1%
    163 tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  2. Tractors$64 million · 5.1%
    7 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  3. Cocoa butter$57 million · 4.5%
    4 thousand tonnes
  4. Industrial fatty acids and oils$47 million · 3.7%
    43 thousand tonnes
  5. Vaccines, blood and antisera$37 million · 2.9%
    12 tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  6. Unwrought aluminum$32 million · 2.5%
    10 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  7. Cameras and broadcast equipment$29 million · 2.3%
    56 tonnes
  8. Trucks$27 million · 2.2%
    4 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  9. Pork$27 million · 2.1%
    11 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations
  10. Cheese$23 million · 1.8%
    5 thousand tonnes · the Netherlands’ destinations

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Varna to Rotterdam.

The estimated sea route between Varna and Rotterdam is 3,449 nautical miles (6,387 km) long: ≈ 8–10.5 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$1.5 billion · 71.4%
  2. Air$613 million · 28.6%

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

How much each matters to the other

The Netherlands was Bulgaria’s 11th largest trading partner (2% of its trade), and Bulgaria was the Netherlands’ 63rd (0.2%).

The Netherlands in Bulgaria’s trade
2.1%
The Netherlands’ rank among Bulgaria’s partners
11th
Bulgaria in the Netherlands’ trade
0.2%
Bulgaria’s rank among the Netherlands’ partners
63rd

Compare with

Other partners of Bulgaria

Other partners of the Netherlands

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.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.