Transport - Total
Annual changes
In the second quarter of 2026, both the goods carried by land and water freight transport and the transport performance dropped by 9.6% and 21.6%, respectively, compared with the same quarter of 2025. The data are preliminary.
The number of passengers carried by passenger transport (land, water and urban electrical transport) fell by 0.6%, while the transport performance increased by 5.7%.
Freight transport
The goods carried by land transport in the second quarter of 2026 totalled 29 589.8 thousand tonnes, which was 9.4% less than in the same quarter of 2025, with the decrease being more substantial in the international carriages. The transport performance stood at 7 186.2 million tkm, or 2 121.2 million tkm less than in the same quarter of the previous year.
The goods carried by sea and inland waterway transport decreased by 159.7 thousand tonnes compared with the second quarter of 2025, due to the reduced volume of goods carried by river transport. The transport performance, measured in tonne-kilometres, rose by 28.8% compared with the same period of the previous year, due to the longer distance travelled by maritime transport.
Figure 1. Goods carried and transport performance of freight transport
in the second quarter of the respective year
Passenger land transport
The number of passengers transported by land transport was 94 276.3 thousand, or 1.1% up on the second quarter of 2025. Bus passenger numbers increased by 1.2%, while rail passengers decreased by 0.8%. The transport performance reached 2 121.3 million passenger-kilometres, which represented a 7.3% rise compared with the corresponding quarter of 2025, as a result of the greater average distance travelled.
Passenger water transport
There was a fall of 5.2 thousand passengers in the number of passengers carried by water transport, compared with the same period of 2025, due to the smaller number of passengers carried by inland waterway transport. Meanwhile, the transport performance increased by 12.0% due to the greater average distance travelled.
Urban electric transport
During the period April - June 2026, the enterprises performing urban electric transport carried a total of 83 899.0 thousand passengers, or 2.4% fewer than in the second quarter of 2025. The transport performance also decreased by 0.4% and reached 522.8 million passenger-kilometres.
Figure 2. Transported passengers and transport performance of passenger transport
in the second quarter of the respective year
Methodological notes
Land freight transport covers the freight carriages by road and rail transport from vehicles with Bulgarian registration as well as transmission of goods by pipelines.
Land passenger transport covers the passengers’ carriages by road and rail transport from vehicles with Bulgarian registration.
Water transport covers the passengers’ and freight carriages and transport performance by maritime and IWW vessels with Bulgarian registration.
Urban electrical transport includes passengers carried and transport performance of trolleybus and electric bus transport in the country, tramway transport and metro in Sofia.
Goods carried (tonnes) - measures the total volume of goods carried for hire or reward between two places (place of loading and place of unloading).
Transport performance of freight transport (tonne-kilometres) - corresponds to the transportation of one tonne over one kilometre.
Passengers carried (in numbers) - measures the total number of passengers with paid fares carried by the corresponding type of transport between two places (place of embarkation and place of disembarkation).
Transport performance of passenger transport (passenger-kilometres) - corresponds to the transportation of one passenger over one kilometre.
Annex
Table 1
| II quarter 2025 | II quarter 2026 | Index of change compared to the second quarter of 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land transport - transported goods | |||
| Total - thousand tonnes | 32 659.8 | 29 589.8 | 90.6 |
| National | 23 500.8 | 22 573.1 | 96.1 |
| International | 9 159.0 | 7 016.7 | 76.6 |
| Land transport - transport performance | |||
| Total - million tkm | 9 307.4 | 7 186.2 | 77.2 |
| National | 2 872.8 | 2 374.8 | 82.7 |
| International | 6 434.6 | 4 811.3 | 74.8 |
| Water transport - transported goods | |||
| Total - thousand tonnes | 937.8 | 778.1 | 83.0 |
| National | - | - | - |
| International | 937.8 | 778.1 | 83.0 |
| Water transport - transport performance | |||
| Total - million tkm | 213.8 | 275.3 | 128.8 |
| National | - | - | - |
| International | 213.8 | 275.3 | 128.8 |
| Land transport - transported passengers | |||
| Total - thousands | 93 226.2 | 94 276.3 | 101.1 |
| National | 92 203.1 | 93 227.2 | 101.1 |
| International | 1 023.1 | 1 049.1 | 102.5 |
| Land transport - transport performance | |||
| Total - million pkm | 1 977.8 | 2 121.3 | 107.3 |
| National | 1 691.1 | 1 767.1 | 104.5 |
| International | 286.7 | 354.2 | 123.5 |
| Water transport - transported passengers | |||
| Total - thousands | 52.2 | 47.0 | 90.0 |
| National | 3.0 | 6.3 | 210.0 |
| International | 49.2 | 40.7 | 82.6 |
| Water transport - transport performance | |||
| Total - million pkm | 12.2 | 13.7 | 112.0 |
| National | 0.1 | 0.2 | 200.0 |
| International | 12.1 | 13.5 | 111.3 |
| Urban electrical transport - transported passengers | |||
| Total - thousands | 85 947.6 | 83 899.0 | 97.6 |
| Urban electrical transport - transport performance | |||
| Total - million pkm | 525.1 | 522.8 | 99.6 |
| „-“ - no case registered. |
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