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Bulgaria · Section 1 of 9

Overview

Agriculture, forestry and fishing produced 2.5% of Bulgaria's GDP in 2025, and real value added in the sector fell by 20.5% in 2022 and by 16.1% in 2023 before it grew in 2024 and 2025. Holdings of 100 ha or more farmed 75.1% of the utilised agricultural area in 2020, and 77.1% of that area was rented. Agri-food exports reached US$7.89 billion in 2025, and cereals were the largest export chapter. Banks held BGN 3.02 billion of loans to companies in agriculture, forestry and fishing at the end of 2025, 5.6% of their loans to companies, and Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026.

Agriculture share of GDP
2.5%
20251
Agricultural value added (World Bank)
3.24US$ bn
20252
Share of employment (labour force survey)
4.8%
20253
Real growth of agriculture, forestry and fishing
0.4%
20254
Bank loans to companies in agriculture, forestry and fishing
3.02BGN bn
≈ US$1.82 bn5
Dec 20256
Agriculture share of bank loans to companies
5.6%
Dec 20256
Agri-food exports (HS 01–24)
7.89US$ bn
20257
Agricultural holdings (all holdings, census)
132,742
20208
1.1

At a glance

Agriculture in the national accounts. Agriculture, forestry and fishing produced EUR 2,865.3 million of value added in 2025, 2.8% of gross value added and 2.5% of GDP, on the National Statistical Institute's data of 20 October 20261. The World Bank, which in its update of 8 October 2026 used data from before the 2026 revision of the national accounts, put agricultural value added at US$3.24 billion in 20252. Real value added fell by 20.5% in 2022 and by 16.1% in 2023, then grew by 6.9% in 2024 and by 0.4% in 20254. In the final economic accounts for agriculture for 2025 the output of the agricultural industry was BGN 10,141.5 million, about US$5.84 billion at the 2025 average exchange rate (own calculation), and crops made up 66.1% of it95.

Farm size and land tenure in 2020. The 2020 agricultural census counted 132,742 agricultural holdings, against 370,222 in 20108. Holdings of 100 ha or more farmed 75.1% of the utilised agricultural area in 2020, against 51.8% in the EU-27, and 77.1% of the utilised agricultural area was rented, against 45.8% in the EU-27 (own calculations)1011. Managers aged 65 or over ran 30.8% of holdings in 2020 (own calculation)12. The labour force survey counted 139.9 thousand people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing in 2025, 4.8% of employment (own calculation)3.

Grain, oilseeds and trade in 2025. Farms harvested 7.35 million tonnes of wheat in 2025, the highest wheat harvest of 2010–2025 in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food series1314. On Eurostat data Bulgaria produced 18.8% of the EU's sunflower seed in 2025, the third-largest share after Romania and Hungary15. Agri-food exports were US$7.89 billion in 2025 and imports US$8.18 billion, a deficit of US$285.1 million7. EU-27 members took 57.7% of agri-food exports in 2025 (own calculation)16. Wheat exports were worth US$1,382.3 million in 2025, and Algeria took 42.6% of that value (own calculation)1718.

Bank credit and the euro. Banks held BGN 3,019.7 million of loans to companies in agriculture, forestry and fishing at the end of 2025, about US$1.82 billion at the official year-end rate65. The stock fell by 2.7% in 2025 while loans to all non-financial companies grew by 9.9% (2025 classified by NACE Rev. 2.1, 2024 by NACE Rev. 2), and agriculture's share of company loans fell from 6.8% in 2022 to 5.6% in 2025 (own calculations)196. 93.9% of these loans were denominated in leva at the end of 20256. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 at the fixed rate of BGN 1.95583 per euro, and from January 2026 the Bulgarian National Bank publishes its loan statistics in euro2021. The CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 had planned EU and national funding of EUR 7,725.7 million after its fourth amendment of February 2026, about US$8.96 billion at the ECB reference rate of 31 August 2026 (own calculation)2223. State Fund Agriculture authorised BGN 1,845.8 million of direct payments in calendar year 2024, about US$1.02 billion at the 2024 average rate (own calculation)245.

Warming, drought and irrigation. Bulgaria's mean temperature in 1991–2020 was 0.8 °C above 1961–1990, with summers 1.5 °C warmer25. Irrigated land covered 1.7% of the utilised agricultural area in 2023, a value Eurostat flags as imputed26. Agriculture emitted 5.83 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2024, 13.46% of emissions excluding land use and forestry27.

Out of every 100…
Agriculture's weight in output, jobs, land and credit
2.5
euros of GDP came from agriculture, forestry and fishing (2025)1
4.8
employed people worked in agriculture, forestry or fishing (2025, own calculation)3
77.1
hectares of utilised agricultural area were rented (2020, own calculation)11
5.6
leva of the stock of bank loans to companies were loans to agriculture, forestry and fishing (December 2025, own calculation)6
7.35 Mt
of wheat harvested in 2025, the highest harvest of 2010–2025 (Ministry of Agriculture and Food)13
18.8%
of the EU's sunflower seed was grown in Bulgaria in 2025, third after Romania and Hungary (Eurostat)15
10,236 t
of rose flower harvested from 3,887 ha of oil-bearing rose in 202513
75.1%
of utilised agricultural area was farmed by holdings of 100 ha or more in 2020 (own calculation)10
Agriculture's share of the economy
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, gross value added as % of total GVA and of GDP, current prices, 2010–2025
Source: Eurostat · NSI — Eurostat and NSI national accounts (ESA 2010) as published on 20 October 2026, after the 2026 revision of 2018–2024. The share of GVA is published by Eurostat. The share of GDP is an own calculation from value added and GDP in EUR million, and the NSI release prints 2.5% for 2025.
Agriculture's share of bank loans to companies
Loans to agriculture, forestry and fishing as % of bank loans to non-financial corporations, end of year 2010–2025 and end of June 2026
Source: BNB — Own calculation from BNB stocks in BGN thousand to 2025 and in EUR thousand for June 2026 (EUR 1,557,386 thousand of EUR 29,054,692 thousand)29. Loans to non-financial corporations rose by 9.9% in 2025 while loans to agriculture fell by 2.7% (own calculation). The 2025 and June 2026 figures are classified by NACE Rev. 2.1 and earlier years by NACE Rev. 2.
1.2

Key issues for agricultural finance

Agriculture's share of company loans fell in 2023–2025

Bank loans to companies in agriculture, forestry and fishing fell by 2.7% in 2025 to BGN 3.02 billion while loans to all companies grew by 9.9% (2025 classified by NACE Rev. 2.1, 2024 by NACE Rev. 2), and agriculture's share of company loans fell from 6.8% in 2022 to 5.6% in 2025 (own calculations)196.

Changes in farm output in 2021–2025

Real value added in agriculture, forestry and fishing grew by 28.5% in 2021, then fell by 20.5% in 2022 and by 16.1% in 20234. On Ministry of Agriculture and Food data the grain maize harvest was 0.99 million tonnes in 2025 at 2.60 tonnes per hectare, the lowest of the 2010–2025 series1314.

Rented land and farm concentration in 2020

77.1% of the utilised agricultural area was rented and 75.1% was farmed by holdings of 100 ha or more in 2020, against 45.8% and 51.8% in the EU-27 (own calculations)1110.

Company lending rates above the euro area in August 2026

New euro loans to companies in Bulgaria, other than overdrafts and revolving loans, carried an average rate of 4.36% in August 2026, against 3.63% in the euro area. No rate is published for agriculture3031.

Lev loans before the euro changeover of January 2026

93.9% of bank loans to companies in agriculture, forestry and fishing were denominated in leva at the end of 2025, before Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 at BGN 1.95583 per euro620.

Insurance aid reached 678 farmers in 2024

State co-financing of insurance premiums went to 678 farmers in 2024 and 246 in 2023, and the first intake under a CAP Strategic Plan intervention, opened in March 2025, had a budget of EUR 10 million and aid of up to 70% of the premium323334.
Notes on the data. National accounts come from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), which revised Bulgaria's 2018–2024 accounts in 2026, and from Eurostat, which publishes the revised data, while the World Bank dollar series of 8 October 2026 used the earlier data. Crop production comes from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (harvested weight) and from Eurostat (EU standard humidity), which give different tonnages, and each figure names its source. Farm structure comes from the 2020 agricultural census, which covers all holdings, and the 2023 farm structure survey, which Eurostat publishes only for holdings above the survey thresholds. Bank credit is the Bulgarian National Bank series of loans to non-financial corporations by economic activity. Amounts up to 2025 are in leva (BGN) as published. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 at BGN 1.95583 per euro, so 2026 amounts are in euro, and Eurostat records all Bulgarian years in euro. Leva are converted to euro only at 1.95583 and to US dollars at the IMF official rates, and 2026 euro amounts at the ECB reference rate of 31 August 2026. Trade by partner is UN Comtrade data reported by Bulgaria for 2025.

Sources cited on this page

  1. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – national level – 2025 – updated data (press release, PDF) — National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI)verified
  2. World Development Indicators – Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), NV.AGR.TOTL.CD, Bulgaria — World Bankverified
  3. Employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2), Labour Force Survey (lfsa_egan2), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  4. Gross value added and income by main industry (NACE Rev. 2), annual data (nama_10_a10), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  5. IMF, Exchange Rates (ER) dataset – Bulgaria, domestic currency per US$ — International Monetary Fund (IMF)verified
  6. Loans to non-financial corporations, financial corporations and households and NPISHs by type and economic activity, 2025 (2025_cred_type_en.xlsx) — Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)verified
  7. Bulgaria, agri-food trade by HS chapter (01–24), partner world, 2015–2025 (public preview API, JSON) — United Nations Statistics Divisionverified
  8. Agricultural Census in Bulgaria in 2020 – results and analyses, No 406, October 2022 (Преброяване на земеделските стопанства в България през 2020 г.) — Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria (MAF), Agrostatistics Departmentverified
  9. Economic accounts for agriculture – 2025 – final data (press release) — National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI)verified
  10. Farm indicators by legal status of the holding, utilised agricultural area, type and economic size of the farm and NUTS 2 region (ef_m_farmleg), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  11. Tenure of agricultural holdings by utilised agricultural area, sex and age of farm manager and NUTS 2 region (ef_mp_tenure), Bulgaria and EU-27 — Eurostatverified
  12. Farm indicators by age and sex of the manager, economic size of the farm, utilised agricultural area and NUTS 2 region (ef_m_farmang), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  13. Bulletin No. 476 – Yields of field crops, harvest 2025 (June 2026) — Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Bulgaria (MAF), Agrostatistics Departmentverified
  14. Agrostatistical reference book – 02 Field crops 2000–2024 (Table 2.1, harvested area, production and yields by year) — Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Bulgaria (MAF), Agrostatistics Departmentverified
  15. Crop production in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1), EU-27 member states, 2024–2025 — Eurostatverified
  16. Bulgaria, agri-food trade by partner and HS chapter, 2025 (public preview API, JSON) — United Nations Statistics Divisionverified
  17. UN Comtrade, Bulgaria as reporter, annual HS data for selected agri-food products, partner World, 2015–2025 — UN Comtradeverified
  18. UN Comtrade, Bulgaria as reporter, exports by partner in 2025 for HS 1001, 1206, 1512 and 330129 — UN Comtradeverified
  19. Кредити на нефинансови предприятия, финансови предприятия и домакинства и НТООД по икономически дейности (quarterly time series, cred_dyn_eact_bg.xlsx), edition with data to December 2025 — Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)verified
  20. Press release. Bulgaria to join euro area on 1 January 2026 (8 July 2025) — European Central Bank (ECB)verified
  21. Статистика на кредити и депозити по количествени категории и икономически дейности, 2026 (statistics page) — Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)landing page verified
  22. At a glance: Bulgaria's CAP Strategic Plan (factsheet, updated version February 2026) — European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Developmentverified
  23. Euro foreign exchange reference rates – US dollar (EXR.D.USD.EUR.SP00.A), 31 August 2026 — European Central Bank (ECB), published in Bulgaria by the Bulgarian National Bankverified
  24. Годишен доклад за състоянието и развитието на земеделието – Аграрен доклад 2025 (Annual report on the state and development of agriculture, 2025 edition, reg. No. 93-З-939/08.12.2025) — Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria (MAF)verified
  25. First Biennial Transparency Report of Bulgaria under the Paris Agreement, dated 31 December 2024 (PDF, 180 pp.) — Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgariaverified
  26. Irrigable and irrigated area (ef_fsi_irri), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  27. National Inventory Document 2026, Greenhouse gas emissions in Bulgaria 1988–2024, April 2026 (PDF, 536 pp.) — Executive Environment Agency, Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria (via Climate Policy Radar)verified
  28. GDP and main components, annual data (nama_10_gdp), Bulgaria — Eurostatverified
  29. Кредити на сектори нефинансови предприятия, финансови предприятия и домакинства и НТООД по вид и икономически дейности, 2026 (2026_cred_type_eur_bg.xlsx) — Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)verified
  30. MFI interest rate statistics, Bulgaria, new loans other than revolving loans and overdrafts to non-financial corporations, total amount, annualised agreed rate (series MIR.M.BG.B.A2A.A.R.A.2240.EUR.N and MIR.M.BG.B.A2A.A.R.A.2240.BGN.N) — European Central Bank (ECB), data compiled by the BNBverified
  31. MFI interest rate statistics, euro area (changing composition), new loans other than revolving loans and overdrafts to non-financial corporations, total amount, annualised agreed rate (MIR.M.U2.B.A2A.A.R.A.2240.EUR.N) — European Central Bank (ECB)verified
  32. Годишен доклад за състоянието и развитието на земеделието (Аграрен доклад 2025), covering 2024 — Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF)verified
  33. Годишен доклад за състоянието и развитието на земеделието (Аграрен доклад 2024), covering 2023 — Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF)verified
  34. За първи път стартира прием за подпомагане на застраховането на реколтата по Стратегическия план (24 March 2025) — Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF)verified
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AI-assisted content, human-reviewed: This page was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by a human editor. (last review: October 2026) Despite review, errors or outdated values may remain; please verify critical figures against the linked primary sources before relying on them. Nothing here is investment, legal or financial advice.
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