Trade in goods with third countries - Extrastat - preliminary data - July 2026

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Trade in goods with third countries - Extrastat - preliminary data - July 2026

In the period January - July 2026, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries increased by 3.3% in comparison with the same period of 2025 and added up to 9 450.0 million EUR (Annex, Tables 1 and 2). The main trade partners of Bulgaria were Türkiye, the United States, Serbia, China, the United Kingdom, the Republic of North Macedonia and Ukraine, which accounted for 47.7% of the exports to non-EU countries (Annex, Table 3).

In July 2026, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries decreased by 14.2% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and amounted to 1 374.4 million EUR.

 

 

In the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries, distributed according to the Standard International Trade Classification, the most notable growth was recorded in the section ‘Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials’ (42.3%) (Annex, Table 4). The most notable fall was reported in the section ‘Food and live animals’ (15.8%).

The imports of goods to Bulgaria from third countries in the period January - July 2026 increased by 24.0% in comparison with the same period of 2025 and added up to 15 861.4 million EUR (at CIF prices)[2] (Annex, Tables 1 and 2). The largest amounts were reported for the goods imported from Türkiye, China, Kazakhstan and Serbia (Annex, Table 3).

In July 2026, the imports of goods to Bulgaria from third countries increased by 13.0% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year and amounted to 2 324.4 million EUR.

 

 

In the imports of goods to Bulgaria from third countries, distributed according to the Standard International Trade Classification, the largest growth was recorded in the section ‘Crude materials, inedible (except fuel)’ (72.9%) (Annex, Table 4). No fall was reported in any of the sections.

The foreign trade balance of Bulgaria (exports FOB - imports CIF) with third countries in the period January - July 2026 was negative and added up to 6 411.4 million EUR (Annex, Tables 1 and 3).

In July 2026, the foreign trade balance of Bulgaria (export FOB - import CIF) with third countries was also negative and amounted to 950.0 million EUR.

 

Trade in goods of Bulgaria with third countries and the EU - total

In the period January - July 2026, the total value of all the goods exported from Bulgaria amounted to 27 144.6 million EUR, which was 8.5% more than the same period of the previous year (Annex, Tables 1 and 2).

In July 2026, the total exports of goods added up to 4 063.0 million EUR and increased by 5.5% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

 

The total value of all the goods imported into the country in the period January - July 2026 amounted to 34 539.6 million EUR (at CIF prices), or 13.7% more than the same period of 2025 (Annex, Tables 1 and 2).

In July 2026, the total imports of goods increased by 8.5% compared to the same month of the previous year and added up to 5 089.9 million EUR.

  

 

The total foreign trade balance (exports FOB - imports CIF) was negative in the period January - July 2026 and amounted to 7 395.0 million EUR (Annex, Tables 1 and 3).

In July 2026, the total foreign trade balance (exports FOB - import CIF) was also negative and added up to 1 026.9 million EUR.

  

[1] Value changes at current prices. 

[2] Imports at FOB prices are calculated by BNB (http://bnb.bg/Statistics/StExternalSector/StForeignTrade/StFTImports/index.htm?toLang=_EN).

 

Annex

 

Table 1. Exports, imports and trade balance of Bulgaria in the period January - July 2025 and 2026[1] by months
(Million EUR*)
Months/Periods Exports - FOB Total Exports - FOB EU Exports - FOB Non-EU Imports - CIF[2] Total Imports - CIF EU Imports - CIF Non-EU Trade balance - FOB/CIF Total Trade balance - FOB/CIF EU Trade balance - FOB/CIF Non-EU
I.2025 3 381.0 2 262.5 1 118.5 4 367.5 2 425.8 1 941.7 -986.5 -163.3 -823.2
II.2025 3 543.1 2 227.9 1 315.2 4 026.3 2 440.5 1 585.8 -483.2 -212.6 -270.6
III.2025 3 653.6 2 348.7 1 304.9 4 661.9 2 639.0 2 022.9 -1 008.3 -290.3 -718.0
I - III.2025 10 577.7 6 839.1 3 738.6 13 055.7 7 505.3 5 550.4 -2 478.0 -666.2 -1 811.8
IV.2025 3 490.4 2 240.6 1 249.8 4 423.2 2 538.8 1 884.4 -932.8 -298.2 -634.6
V.2025 3 426.1 2 191.3 1 234.8 3 979.3 2 404.0 1 575.3 -553.2 -212.7 -340.5
VI.2025 3 660.5 2 332.9 1 327.6 4 236.3 2 515.6 1 720.7 -575.8 -182.7 -393.1
IV - VI.2025 10 577.0 6 764.8 3 812.2 12 638.8 7 458.4 5 180.4 -2 061.8 -693.6 -1 368.2
I - VI.2025 21 154.7 13 603.9 7 550.8 25 694.5 14 963.7 10 730.8 -4 539.8 -1 359.8 -3 180.0
VII.2025 3 852.2 2 250.9 1 601.3 4 691.0 2 634.1 2 056.9 -838.8 -383.2 -455.6
I - VII.2025 25 006.9 15 854.8 9 152.1 30 385.5 17 597.8 12 787.7 -5 378.6 -1 743.0 -3 635.6
I.2026 3 441.4 2 313.1 1 128.3 4 386.5 2 326.2 2 060.3 -945.1 -13.1 -932.0
II.2026 3 585.3 2 337.5 1 247.8 4 382.0 2 531.7 1 850.3 -796.7 -194.2 -602.5
III.2026 4 130.3 2 708.4 1 421.9 5 540.6 3 161.9 2 378.7 -1 410.3 -453.5 -956.8
I - III.2026 11 157.0 7 359.0 3 798.0 14 309.1 8 019.8 6 289.3 -3 152.1 -660.8 -2 491.3
IV.2026 3 993.0 2 495.0 1 498.0 5 262.9 2 578.4 2 684.5 -1 269.9 -83.4 -1 186.5
V.2026 3 760.3 2 451.4 1 308.9 4 699.3 2 555.8 2 143.5 -939.0 -104.4 -834.6
VI.2026 4 171.3 2 700.6 1 470.7 5 178.4 2 758.7 2 419.7 -1 007.1 -58.1 -949.0
IV - VI.2026 11 924.6 7 647.0 4 277.6 15 140.6 7 892.9 7 247.7 -3 216.0 -245.9 -2 970.1
I - VI.2026 23 081.6 15 006.0 8 075.6 29 449.7 15 912.7 13 537.0 -6 368.1 -906.7 -5 461.4
VII.2026 4 063.0 2 688.6 1 374.4 5 089.9 2 765.5 2 324.4 -1 026.9 -76.9 -950.0
I - VII.2026 27 144.6 17 694.6 9 450.0 34 539.6 18 678.2 15 861.4 -7 395.0 -983.6 -6 411.4

[1] Data are preliminary as of September 11, 2026.
[2] Imports at FOB prices are calculated by BNB (http://bnb.bg/Statistics/StExternalSector/StForeignTrade/StFTImports/index.htm?toLang=_EN&toLang=_EN).

* Due to currency conversion and rounding, some amounts may differ from the sum of their component values.

 

 

Table 2. Value changes of exports and imports of Bulgaria in the period January - July 2026[1] compared to the same period of the previous year
(Per cent)
Months/Periods Exports - FOB Total Exports - FOB EU Exports - FOB Non-EU Imports - CIF Total Imports - CIF EU Imports - CIF Non-EU
I 1.8 2.2 0.9 0.4 -4.1 6.1
II 1.2 4.9 -5.1 8.8 3.7 16.7
III 13.0 15.3 9.0 18.8 19.8 17.6
I - III 5.5 7.6 1.6 9.6 6.9 13.3
IV 14.4 11.4 19.9 19.0 1.6 42.5
V 9.8 11.9 6.0 18.1 6.3 36.1
VI 14.0 15.8 10.8 22.2 9.7 40.6
IV - VI 12.7 13.0 12.2 19.8 5.8 39.9
I - VI 9.1 10.3 7.0 14.6 6.3 26.2
VII 5.5 19.4 -14.2 8.5 5.0 13.0
I - VII 8.5 11.6 3.3 13.7 6.1 24.0

[1] Data are preliminary as of September 11, 2026.

 

 

Table 3. Exports, imports and trade balance of Bulgaria by groups of countries and main non-EU partner countries[1] in the period January - July 2025 and 2026[2]
Countries, territories and groups of countries Exports - FOB 2025 Exports - FOB 2026 Exports - FOB change compared to the same period of the previous year Imports - CIF 2025 Imports - CIF 2026 Imports - CIF change compared to the same period of the previous year Trade balance - FOB/CIF 2025 Trade balance - FOB/CIF 2026
Million EUR* Million EUR % Million EUR Million EUR % Million EUR Million EUR
Third countries - total 9 152.1 9 450.0 3.3 12 787.7 15 861.4 24.0 -3 635.6 -6 411.4
CIS[3] 568.2 660.0 16.2 831.1 1 035.4 24.6 -262.9 -375.4
of which:
Kazakhstan 51.7 55.9 8.1 556.6 766.8 37.8 -504.9 -710.9
Russian Federation 236.7 284.7 20.3 194.4 133.3 -31.4 42.3 151.4
OECD[4] 3 586.3 3 577.3 -0.3 4 937.1 6 421.7 30.1 -1 350.8 -2 844.4
of which:
Canada 169.3 82.7 -51.2 180.5 50.1 -72.2 -11.2 32.6
Chile 13.2 36.7 178.0 50.8 378.6 645.3 -37.6 -341.9
Israel 94.6 106.6 12.7 50.0 46.6 -6.8 44.6 60.0
Japan 49.1 59.9 22.0 97.3 97.7 0.4 -48.2 -37.8
Korea, Republic of 49.3 60.8 23.3 96.5 120.1 24.5 -47.2 -59.3
Turkiye 1 856.3 1 716.7 -7.5 3 334.0 4 516.0 35.5 -1 477.7 -2 799.3
United Kingdom[5] 361.0 467.6 29.5 244.6 242.8 -0.7 116.4 224.8
United States 613.7 599.9 -2.2 481.8 483.3 0.3 131.9 116.6
EFTA[6] 260.8 303.1 16.2 284.3 428.7 50.8 -23.5 -125.6
of which:
Norway 61.2 68.3 11.6 26.7 162.7 509.4 34.5 -94.4
Switzerland 197.7 231.2 16.9 255.2 262.2 2.7 -57.5 -31.0
Countries not included in the upper groups
Albania 75.9 66.6 -12.3 33.7 34.6 2.7 42.2 32.0
Algeria 453.4 232.5 -48.7 16.7 40.9 144.9 436.7 191.6
Bosnia and Herzegovina 58.9 82.9 40.7 22.3 30.9 38.6 36.6 52.0
Brazil 23.5 41.3 75.7 224.2 531.4 137.0 -200.7 -490.1
China 346.8 539.1 55.4 1 979.9 2 950.4 49.0 -1 633.1 -2 411.3
Egypt 150.2 237.9 58.4 376.5 159.8 -57.6 -226.3 78.1
Georgia 207.1 253.4 22.4 202.7 231.1 14.0 4.4 22.3
Gibraltar 159.6 187.3 17.4 0.0 0.0 х 159.6 187.3
India 114.1 198.1 73.6 149.6 188.0 25.7 -35.5 10.1
Indonesia 22.8 87.9 285.5 70.9 86.7 22.3 -48.1 1.2
Iran, Islamic Republic of 60.0 48.9 -18.5 42.4 18.1 -57.3 17.6 30.8
Libya 58.6 103.4 76.5 50.2 222.3 342.8 8.4 -118.9
Morocco 146.3 85.1 -41.8 105.9 103.6 -2.2 40.4 -18.5
Namibia 3.5 3.1 -11.4 5.3 0.1 -98.1 -1.8 3.0
Peru 13.6 18.1 33.1 104.4 222.3 112.9 -90.8 -204.2
Republic of North Macedonia 462.5 329.1 -28.8 333.7 381.7 14.4 128.8 -52.6
Serbia 503.3 551.3 9.5 705.0 632.1 -10.3 -201.7 -80.8
Singapore 32.3 55.9 73.1 18.4 27.8 51.1 13.9 28.1
South Africa 75.0 32.3 -56.9 20.1 54.5 171.1 54.9 -22.2
Taiwan[7] 16.7 37.1 122.2 62.3 53.4 -14.3 -45.6 -16.3
Tunisia 96.9 85.1 -12.2 31.0 34.8 12.3 65.9 50.3
Ukraine 329.7 304.9 -7.5 604.0 585.7 -3.0 -274.3 -280.8
United Arab Emirates 108.3 97.2 -10.2 39.5 32.7 -17.2 68.8 64.5
Viet Nam 32.6 33.4 2.5 133.2 112.1 -15.8 -100.6 -78.7

[1] Partner country:
In case of exports (or dispatches) is the country (or Member State) of final destination of the goods.
In case of imports (or arrivals) is the country (or Member State) of consignment of the goods.
[2] Data are preliminary as of September 11, 2026.
[3] CIS includes: Azerbaijan; Armenia; Belarus; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Moldova, Republic of; Russian Federation; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
[4] OECD includes: Australia; Virgin Islands (US); United States; Iceland; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Mexico; New Zealand; Norway; Korea, Republic of; Turkey; United Kingdom; Switzerland; Japan and Israel.
[5] The United Kingdom includes: Northern Ireland; Great Britain; Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
[6] EFTA includes: Norway; Switzerland; Iceland and Liechtenstein.
[7] Separate customs territory of Taiwan; Penghu; Kinmen and Matsu. 
‘0’ - a quantity less than half of the unit of measure used.
‘x’ - not applicable.
* Due to currency conversion and rounding, some amounts may differ from the sum of their component values.

 

Table 4. Exports, imports and trade balance of Bulgaria with non-EU countries by sections of SITC, rev.4 in the period January - July 2025 and 2026[1]
Sections by SITC Exports - FOB 2025 Exports - FOB 2026 Exports - FOB change compared to the same period of the previous year Imports - CIF 2025 Imports - CIF 2026 Imports - CIF change compared to the same period of the previous year Trade balance - FOB/CIF 2025 Trade balance - FOB/CIF 2026
Million EUR* Million EUR % Million EUR Million EUR % Million EUR Million EUR
Third countries - total 9 152.1 9 450.0 3.3 12 787.7 15 861.4 24.0 -3 635.6 -6 411.4
Food and live animals 1 364.1 1 148.9 -15.8 827.7 882.2 6.6 536.4 266.7
Beverages and tobacco 119.8 117.4 -2.0 131.7 169.6 28.8 -11.9 -52.2
Crude materials, inedible (except fuel) 804.3 899.4 11.8 1 489.2 2 575.1 72.9 -684.9 -1 675.7
Mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials 773.6 1 100.5 42.3 2 703.7 3 755.0 38.9 -1 930.1 -2 654.5
Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 177.8 244.9 37.7 102.8 169.5 64.9 75.0 75.4
Chemical and related products n.e.c. 1 135.8 1 314.1 15.7 1 095.2 1 116.5 1.9 40.6 197.6
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 1 628.8 1 420.9 -12.8 2 369.6 2 531.7 6.8 -740.8 -1 110.8
Machinery and transport equipment 1 848.6 1 890.6 2.3 2 845.3 3 450.2 21.3 -996.7 -1 559.6
Miscellaneous manufactured articles 1 245.6 1 293.8 3.9 1 184.3 1 191.0 0.6 61.3 102.8
Commodities and transactions n.e.c. 53.7 19.5 -63.7 38.2 20.6 -46.1 15.5 -1.1

[1] Data are preliminary as of September 11, 2026.

* Due to currency conversion and rounding, some amounts may differ from the sum of their component values.

 

 

Methodological Notes

Legislative Framework

Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 December 2019 on European business statistics (including intra-EU trade in goods).

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 September 2020 laying down technical specifications and rules pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1704 of 14 September 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council by further specifying the details of the statistical information to be provided by tax and customs authorities, and amending Annexes V and VI thereof (text relevant to the EEA).

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1225 of 27 September 2021 laying down the rules for data exchange pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 regarding the member country of extra-EU export and the obligations of reporting units.

Law on Statistics of Intra-EU Trade in Goods effective from 1 September 2012, amended and supplemented, Issue 61 of 2 December 2022.

Scope and Basic Terminology

External trade in goods covers trade with third countries (Extrastat) and with EU Member States (Intrastat), with detailed statistical information collected at the commodity code level (8 digits) of the Combined Nomenclature.

Imports include all goods entering the statistical territory* of the Republic of Bulgaria from other countries intended for domestic consumption, processing in the country for export after processing, as well as imports of goods processed outside the country.

Exports include all goods leaving the statistical territory of the Republic of Bulgaria intended for normal export to another country. This includes goods returned to the trading partner after processing in Bulgaria or goods exported for processing in another country with the intention of being returned to Bulgaria.

The statistical territory of the European Union (EU), in the context of statistics of international trade in goods, corresponds to the combined customs territories of the EU Member States with one exception: unlike the customs territory, the statistical territory of Germany includes Helgoland.

Statistical volumes of imports and exports do not include imported goods placed under customs warehousing without processing, nor do exports include the re-export of these goods.

International trade statistics do not account for the transit of goods through the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Main Sources of Information

Customs declaration - Single Administrative Document (SAD), which is filled out by all entities importing or exporting goods to/from third countries.

Intrastat declaration for intra-EU imports and exports to/from EU Member States.

The Customs Agency is the institution responsible for collecting customs declarations (SAD), and the National Revenue Agency is responsible for Intrastat declarations.

Trade estimates are made to compensate for the impact of thresholds below which traders are exempt from submitting Intrastat declarations, as well as for those who have not responded.

 

Detailed data can be found on the website of NSI at the sections:
Foreign Trade