| Demographics ofBulgaria | |
|---|---|
 Bulgariapopulation pyramid in 2020 | |
| Population |  6,437,360 (December 31, 2024)[1][2] |
| Fertility rate | 1.72 (2024) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 911,025 (14.13%) |
| 15–64 years | 4,003,547 (62.12%) |
| 65 and over |  1,530,909 (23.75%) |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 0.84 male(s)/female (2009) |
| At birth | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 15–64 years | 0.97 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.68 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | noun: Bulgarian(s)adjective: Bulgarian |
| Major ethnic | Bulgarian (85.7%) |
| Minor ethnic | Turkish (8.5%) Romani (4.5%) Others (1.3%) |
| Language | |
| Official | Bulgarian (86.2%) |
Thedemography of the Republic of Bulgaria is monitored by theNational Statistical Institute of Bulgaria.Demographic features of the population ofBulgaria include population density,ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status,religious affiliations and others.
In 2023, Bulgaria had aHuman Development Index of 0.845, which corresponds to "very high human development", ranking 55th in the world together with neighbouring Romania,[3] was designated as a "High-income economy" by the World Bank, with aGNI per capita of $15,320, as of 2024,[4] and was awarded the 38th position inNewsweek's rankings of the world's best countries to live in, measuring health, education, political environment andeconomic dynamism in 2010.[5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 2,007,919 | — |
| 1887 | 3,154,375 | +6.67% |
| 1892 | 3,310,713 | +0.97% |
| 1900 | 3,744,283 | +1.55% |
| 1905 | 4,035,575 | +1.51% |
| 1910 | 4,337,513 | +1.45% |
| 1920 | 4,846,971 | +1.12% |
| 1926 | 5,478,741 | +2.06% |
| 1934 | 6,077,939 | +1.31% |
| 1946 | 7,029,349 | +1.22% |
| 1956 | 7,613,709 | +0.80% |
| 1965 | 8,227,866 | +0.87% |
| 1975 | 8,727,771 | +0.59% |
| 1985 | 8,948,649 | +0.25% |
| 1992 | 8,487,317 | −0.75% |
| 2001 | 7,928,901 | −0.75% |
| 2011 | 7,364,570 | −0.74% |
| 2021 | 6,519,789 | −1.21% |
| Source:Demographic history of Bulgaria | ||
Various estimates have put Bulgaria's medieval population at 1.1 million in 700 AD and 2.6 million in 1365.[6] At the 2011 census, the population inhabiting Bulgaria was 7,364,570 in total, but the 2021 Census calculated that the population had declined to 6.5 million.[7][8] The peak was in 1989, the year when the borders opened after a half of a century of communist regime, when the population numbered 9,009,018.
Thetotal fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources:Our World in Data andGapminder Foundation.[10]
| Years | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria | 5.16 | 5.05 | 4.95 | 4.84 | 4.73 | 4.62 |
| Years | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria | 4.52 | 4.92 | 5.16 | 5.16 | 5.04 | 4.37 | 5.15 | 5.05 | 4.92 | 4.7 |
| Years | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria | 5.24 | 4.82 | 4.69 | 5.09 | 5.45 | 5.55 | 5.7 | 5.28 | 5.45 |
[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
| Average population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Crude migration rate (per 1000) | Total fertility rates[fn 1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 3,710,000 | 157,000 | 84,000 | 73,000 | 42.3 | 22.6 | 19.7 | 5.67 | |
| 1901 | 3,740,000 | 141,000 | 87,000 | 54,000 | 37.7 | 23.3 | 14.4 | 5.70 | |
| 1902 | 3,800,000 | 149,000 | 91,000 | 58,000 | 39.2 | 23.9 | 15.3 | 5.73 | |
| 1903 | 3,850,000 | 159,000 | 88,000 | 71,000 | 41.3 | 22.9 | 18.4 | 5.76 | |
| 1904 | 3,910,000 | 167,000 | 84,000 | 83,000 | 42.7 | 21.5 | 21.2 | 5.80 | |
| 1905 | 4,000,000 | 174,000 | 87,000 | 87,000 | 43.5 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 5.83 | |
| 1906 | 4,100,000 | 179,000 | 91,000 | 88,000 | 43.7 | 22.2 | 21.5 | 5.77 | |
| 1907 | 4,150,000 | 180,000 | 92,000 | 88,000 | 43.4 | 22.2 | 21.2 | 5.72 | |
| 1908 | 4,200,000 | 169,000 | 102,000 | 67,000 | 40.2 | 24.3 | 16.0 | 5.66 | |
| 1909 | 4,280,000 | 173,000 | 113,000 | 60,000 | 40.4 | 26.4 | 14.0 | 5.6 | |
| 1910 | 4,350,000 | 180,000 | 100,000 | 80,000 | 41.4 | 23.0 | 18.4 | 5.55 | |
| 1911 | 4,400,000 | 176,000 | 94,000 | 82,000 | 40.0 | 21.4 | 18.6 | 5.52 | |
| 1912 | 4,430,000 | 185,000 | 91,000 | 94,000 | 41.8 | 20.5 | 21.2 | 5.48 | |
| 1913 | 4,200,000 | 108,000 | 122,000 | -14,000 | 25.7 | 29.0 | -3.3 | 5.45 | |
| 1914 | 4,240,000 | 191,000 | 88,000 | 103,000 | 45.0 | 20.8 | 24.3 | 5.42 | |
| 1915 | 4,280,000 | 172,000 | 85,000 | 87,000 | 40.2 | 19.9 | 20.3 | 5.39 | |
| 1916 | 4,660,000 | 99,000 | 97,000 | 2,000 | 21.2 | 20.8 | 0.4 | 5.38 | |
| 1917 | 4,690,000 | 81,000 | 99,000 | -18,000 | 17.3 | 21.1 | -3.8 | 5.37 | |
| 1918 | 4,740,000 | 100,000 | 152,000 | -52,000 | 21.1 | 32.1 | -11.0 | 5.36 | |
| 1919 | 4,790,000 | 157,000 | 97,000 | 60,000 | 32.8 | 20.3 | 12.5 | 5.35 | |
| 1920 | 4,850,000 | 193,000 | 104,000 | 89,000 | 39.8 | 21.4 | 18.4 | 5.35 | |
| 1921 | 4,890,000 | 197,000 | 106,000 | 91,000 | 40.3 | 21.7 | 18.6 | 5.27 | |
| 1922 | 5,010,000 | 203,000 | 106,000 | 97,000 | 40.5 | 21.2 | 19.4 | 5.19 | |
| 1923 | 5,090,000 | 192,000 | 108,000 | 84,000 | 37.7 | 21.2 | 16.5 | 5.11 | |
| 1924 | 5,210,000 | 207,000 | 108,000 | 99,000 | 39.7 | 20.7 | 19.0 | 5.03 | |
| 1925 | 5,310,000 | 196,000 | 102,000 | 94,000 | 36.9 | 19.2 | 17.7 | 4.94 | |
| 1926 | 5,420,000 | 203,000 | 93,000 | 110,000 | 37.5 | 17.2 | 20.3 | 4.80 | |
| 1927 | 5,510,000 | 183,000 | 112,000 | 71,000 | 33.2 | 20.3 | 12.9 | 4.65 | |
| 1928 | 5,590,000 | 185,000 | 99,000 | 86,000 | 33.1 | 17.7 | 15.4 | 4.50 | |
| 1929 | 5,670,000 | 173,000 | 103,000 | 70,000 | 30.5 | 18.2 | 12.3 | 4.36 | |
| 1930 | 5,740,000 | 180,000 | 93,000 | 87,000 | 31.4 | 16.2 | 15.2 | 4.05 | |
| 1931 | 5,800,000 | 171,000 | 98,000 | 73,000 | 29.5 | 16.9 | 12.6 | 3.80 | |
| 1932 | 5,884,000 | 186,000 | 96,000 | 90,000 | 31.6 | 16.3 | 15.3 | 4.07 | |
| 1933 | 5,961,000 | 174,000 | 93,000 | 81,000 | 29.2 | 15.6 | 13.6 | 3.76 | |
| 1934 | 6,039,000 | 181,795 | 85,046 | 96,749 | 30.1 | 14.1 | 16.0 | 3.88 | |
| 1935 | 6,102,000 | 160,951 | 89,086 | 71,865 | 26.4 | 14.6 | 11.8 | 3.39 | |
| 1936 | 6,154,000 | 159,146 | 87,723 | 71,423 | 25.9 | 14.3 | 11.6 | 3.33 | |
| 1937 | 6,196,000 | 150,771 | 84,674 | 66,097 | 24.3 | 13.7 | 10.7 | 3.12 | |
| 1938 | 6,244,000 | 142,415 | 85,373 | 57,042 | 22.8 | 13.7 | 9.1 | 2.92 | |
| 1939 | 6,292,000 | 138,883 | 84,150 | 54,733 | 22.1 | 13.4 | 8.7 | 2.81 | |
| 1940 | 6,341,000 | 140,564 | 85,046 | 55,518 | 22.2 | 13.4 | 8.8 | 2.84 | |
| 1941 | 6,715,100 | 147,293 | 85,011 | 62,282 | 21.9 | 12.7 | 9.3 | 2.80 | |
| 1942 | 6,771,100 | 153,272 | 88,082 | 65,190 | 22.6 | 13.0 | 9.6 | -1,4 | 2.91 |
| 1943 | 6,827,600 | 148,840 | 88,386 | 60,454 | 21.8 | 13.0 | 8.9 | -0.6 | 2.79 |
| 1944 | 6,884,600 | 151,013 | 94,082 | 56,931 | 22.0 | 13.7 | 8.3 | 0 | 2.83 |
| 1945 | 6,942,200 | 166,960 | 103,591 | 63,369 | 24.1 | 14.9 | 9.1 | -0.8 | 3.09 |
| 1946 | 7,000,200 | 179,226 | 95,799 | 83,427 | 25.6 | 13.7 | 11.9 | -3.7 | 3.29 |
| 1947 | 7,063,700 | 169,501 | 94,395 | 75,106 | 24.0 | 13.4 | 10.7 | -1.7 | 3.06 |
| 1948 | 7,130,100 | 175,771 | 89,927 | 85,844 | 24.7 | 12.6 | 12.0 | -2.8 | 3.16 |
| 1949 | 7,195,100 | 177,734 | 84,675 | 93,059 | 24.7 | 11.8 | 12.9 | -3.9 | 3.17 |
| 1950 | 7,251,000 | 182,571 | 74,134 | 108,437 | 25.2 | 10.2 | 15.0 | -7.3 | 2.94 |
| 1951 | 7,258,200 | 152,803 | 77,364 | 75,439 | 21.1 | 10.7 | 10.4 | -9.4 | 2.45 |
| 1952 | 7,274,900 | 154,014 | 84,254 | 69,760 | 21.2 | 11.6 | 9.6 | -7.3 | 2.44 |
| 1953 | 7,346,100 | 153,220 | 68,055 | 85,165 | 20.9 | 9.3 | 11.6 | -1.9 | 2.41 |
| 1954 | 7,423,300 | 149,902 | 68,384 | 81,518 | 20.2 | 9.2 | 11.0 | -0.6 | 2.36 |
| 1955 | 7,499,400 | 150,978 | 67,960 | 83,018 | 20.1 | 9.1 | 11.1 | -0.9 | 2.41 |
| 1956 | 7,575,800 | 147,910 | 71,153 | 76,757 | 19.5 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 0 | 2.36 |
| 1957 | 7,651,300 | 141,035 | 65,807 | 75,228 | 18.4 | 8.6 | 9.8 | 0 | 2.26 |
| 1958 | 7,727,600 | 138,294 | 60,734 | 77,560 | 17.9 | 7.9 | 10.0 | -0,2 | 2.23 |
| 1959 | 7,797,800 | 136,892 | 73,850 | 63,042 | 17.5 | 9.4 | 8.1 | 0.9 | 2.23 |
| 1960 | 7,867,374 | 140,082 | 63,665 | 76,417 | 17.8 | 8.1 | 9.7 | -0.9 | 2.31 |
| 1961 | 7,943,118 | 137,861 | 62,562 | 75,299 | 17.4 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 0.1 | 2.29 |
| 1962 | 8,012,946 | 134,148 | 69,640 | 64,508 | 16.7 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 0.7 | 2.24 |
| 1963 | 8,078,145 | 132,143 | 66,057 | 66,086 | 16.4 | 8.2 | 8.2 | -0.1 | 2.21 |
| 1964 | 8,144,340 | 130,958 | 64,479 | 66,479 | 16.1 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 0 | 2.19 |
| 1965 | 8,204,168 | 125,791 | 66,970 | 58,821 | 15.3 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 0.1 | 2.09 |
| 1966 | 8,258,057 | 123,039 | 68,366 | 54,673 | 14.9 | 8.3 | 6.6 | -0.1 | 2.03 |
| 1967 | 8,310,226 | 124,582 | 74,696 | 49,886 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 0.3 | 2.02 |
| 1968 | 8,369,603 | 141,460 | 72,176 | 69,284 | 16.9 | 8.6 | 8.3 | -1.2 | 2.27 |
| 1969 | 8,434,172 | 143,060 | 80,183 | 62,877 | 17.0 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 0.2 | 2.27 |
| 1970 | 8,489,574 | 138,745 | 77,095 | 61,650 | 16.3 | 9.1 | 7.3 | -0.7 | 2.17 |
| 1971 | 8,536,395 | 135,422 | 82,805 | 52,617 | 15.9 | 9.7 | 6.2 | -0.7 | 2.10 |
| 1972 | 8,576,200 | 131,316 | 84,174 | 47,142 | 15.3 | 9.8 | 5.5 | -0.9 | 2.03 |
| 1973 | 8,620,967 | 139,713 | 81,470 | 58,243 | 16.2 | 9.5 | 6.8 | -1.6 | 2.15 |
| 1974 | 8,678,745 | 149,196 | 85,239 | 63,957 | 17.2 | 9.8 | 7.4 | -0.7 | 2.29 |
| 1975 | 8,720,742 | 144,668 | 89,974 | 54,694 | 16.6 | 10.3 | 6.3 | -1.5 | 2.23 |
| 1976 | 8,758,599 | 144,929 | 88,348 | 56,581 | 16.5 | 10.1 | 6.5 | -2.1 | 2.24 |
| 1977 | 8,804,183 | 141,702 | 94,362 | 47,340 | 16.1 | 10.7 | 5.4 | -0.2 | 2.21 |
| 1978 | 8,814,032 | 136,442 | 92,445 | 43,997 | 15.5 | 10.5 | 5.0 | -3.9 | 2.15 |
| 1979 | 8,825,940 | 135,358 | 94,403 | 40,955 | 15.3 | 10.7 | 4.6 | -3.3 | 2.16 |
| 1980 | 8,861,535 | 128,190 | 97,950 | 30,240 | 14.5 | 11.1 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 2.05 |
| 1981 | 8,891,117 | 124,372 | 95,441 | 28,931 | 14.0 | 10.7 | 3.3 | 0.1 | 2.00 |
| 1982 | 8,917,457 | 124,166 | 100,293 | 23,873 | 13.9 | 11.2 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 2.01 |
| 1983 | 8,939,738 | 122,993 | 102,182 | 20,811 | 13.8 | 11.4 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 2.01 |
| 1984 | 8,960,679 | 122,303 | 101,419 | 20,884 | 13.6 | 11.3 | 2.3 | 0 | 2.01 |
| 1985 | 8,960,547 | 118,955 | 107,485 | 11,470 | 13.3 | 12.0 | 1.3 | -1.3 | 1.97 |
| 1986 | 8,958,171 | 120,078 | 104,039 | 16,039 | 13.4 | 11.6 | 1.8 | -2.1 | 2.02 |
| 1987 | 8,971,359 | 116,672 | 107,213 | 9,459 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.96 |
| 1988 | 8,981,446 | 117,440 | 107,385 | 10,055 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 1.1 | 0 | 1.97 |
| 1989 | 8,876,972 | 112,289 | 106,902 | 5,387 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 0.6 | -12.2 | 1.90 |
| 1990 | 8,718,289 | 105,180 | 108,608 | -3,428 | 12.1 | 12.5 | -0.4 | -17.5 | 1.82 |
| 1991 | 8,632,367 | 95,910 | 110,423 | -14,513 | 11.1 | 12.8 | -1.7 | -8.2 | 1.66 |
| 1992 | 8,540,164 | 89,134 | 107,998 | -18,864 | 10.4 | 12.6 | -2.2 | -8.5 | 1.55 |
| 1993 | 8,472,313 | 84,400 | 109,540 | -25,140 | 10.0 | 12.9 | -3.0 | -7.7 | 1.46 |
| 1994 | 8,443,591 | 79,442 | 111,827 | -32,385 | 9.4 | 13.2 | -3.8 | 0.4 | 1.37 |
| 1995 | 8,406,067 | 71,967 | 114,670 | -42,703 | 8.6 | 13.6 | -5.1 | 0.6 | 1.23 |
| 1996 | 8,362,826 | 72,188 | 117,056 | -44,868 | 8.6 | 14.0 | -5.4 | 0.2 | 1.23 |
| 1997 | 8,312,068 | 64,125 | 121,861 | -57,736 | 7.7 | 14.7 | -6.9 | 0.8 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 8,256,786 | 65,361 | 118,190 | -52,829 | 7.9 | 14.3 | -6.4 | -0.3 | 1.11 |
| 1999 | 8,210,624 | 72,290 | 111,786 | -39,496 | 8.8 | 13.6 | -4.8 | -0.8 | 1.23 |
| 2000 | 8,170,172 | 73,679 | 115,087 | -41,408 | 9.0 | 14.1 | -5.1 | 0.1 | 1.26 |
| 2001 | 8,009,142 | 68,180 | 112,368 | -44,188 | 8.5 | 14.0 | -5.5 | -26.0 | 1.21 |
| 2002 | 7,837,161 | 66,499 | 112,617 | -46,118 | 8.5 | 14.4 | -5.9 | -2.7 | 1.23 |
| 2003 | 7,775,327 | 67,359 | 111,927 | -44,568 | 8.7 | 14.4 | -5.7 | 0 | 1.26 |
| 2004 | 7,716,860 | 69,886 | 110,110 | -40,224 | 9.1 | 14.3 | -5.2 | 0 | 1.33 |
| 2005 | 7,658,972 | 71,075 | 113,374 | -42,299 | 9.3 | 14.8 | -5.5 | 0 | 1.37 |
| 2006 | 7,601,022 | 73,978 | 113,438 | -39,460 | 9.7 | 14.9 | -5.2 | 0 | 1.44 |
| 2007 | 7,545,338 | 75,349 | 113,004 | -37,655 | 10.0 | 15.0 | -5.0 | -0.2 | 1.49 |
| 2008 | 7,492,561 | 77,712 | 110,523 | -32,811 | 10.4 | 14.8 | -4.4 | -0.1 | 1.56 |
| 2009 | 7,444,443 | 80,956 | 108,068 | -27,112 | 10.9 | 14.5 | -3.6 | -2.1 | 1.66 |
| 2010 | 7,395,599 | 75,513 | 110,165 | -34,652 | 10.2 | 14.9 | -4.7 | -3.2 | 1.57 |
| 2011 | 7,348,328 | 70,846 | 108,258 | -37,412 | 9.6 | 14.7 | -5.1 | -18.7 | 1.51 |
| 2012 | 7,305,888 | 69,121 | 109,281 | -40,160 | 9.5 | 15.0 | -5.5 | -0.3 | 1.50 |
| 2013 | 7,160,005 | 66,578 | 104,345 | -37,767 | 9.3 | 14.6 | -5.3 | -0.2 | 1.54 |
| 2014 | 7,073,572 | 67,585 | 108,952 | -41,367 | 9.6 | 15.4 | -5.8 | -0.3 | 1.62 |
| 2015 | 6,984,225 | 65,950 | 110,117 | -44,167 | 9.4 | 15.8 | -6.3 | -0.6 | 1.64 |
| 2016 | 6,894,139 | 64,984 | 107,580 | -42,596 | 9.4 | 15.6 | -6.2 | -1.3 | 1.67 |
| 2017 | 6,803,468 | 63,955 | 109,791 | -45,836 | 9.4 | 16.1 | -6.7 | -0.8 | 1.71 |
| 2018 | 6,710,798 | 62,197 | 108,526 | -46,329 | 9.3 | 16.2 | -6.9 | -0.5 | 1.73 |
| 2019 | 6,616,726 | 61,538 | 108,083 | -46,545 | 9.3 | 16.3 | -7.0 | -0.3 | 1.79 |
| 2020 | 6,550,696 | 59,086 | 124,735 | -65,649 | 9.0 | 19.0 | -10.0 | 4.4 | 1.77 |
| 2021 | 6,507,301 | 58,678 | 148,995 | -90,317 | 9.0 | 22.9 | -13.9 | 1.8 | 1.80 |
| 2022 | 6,447,710 | 56,596 | 118,814 | -62,218 | 8.8 | 18.4 | -9.6 | 4.2 | 1.78 |
| 2023 | 6,445,481 | 57,197 | 101,006 | -43,809 | 8.9 | 15.7 | -6.8 | 6.4 | 1.81 |
| 2024 | 6,437,360 | 53,428 | 100,736 | -47,308 | 8.3 | 15.6 | -7.3 | 6.0 | 1.72 |
| Period | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| January—September 2024 | 36,713 | 69,250 | -32,537 |
| January—September 2025 | 36,617 | 70,120 | -33,503 |
| Difference | -96 (-0.26%) | +870 (+1.26%) | -966 |
| Source:[27] | |||
| Regions | TFR |
|---|---|
| Yugoiztochen | 2.03 |
| Severozapaden | 1.91 |
| Yuzhen tsentralen | 1.75 |
| Severoiztochen | 1.63 |
| Severen tsentralen | 1.62 |
| Yugozapaden | 1.55 |
 Bulgaria | 1.72 |
The first reliable data about fertility and natural increase rates in the Bulgarian lands date back to the mid-1800s.
According to Turkish statisticianKemal Karpat, Non-Muslims, Bulgarians included, in theOttoman Empire received a remarkable boost in fertility in the early 1830s. Their average growth rate climbed up to 2% per year, compared to zero among Muslims, who suffered from demographic stagnation.[30]
The same trend continued well after Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878.[31] Until the early 1890s, Muslim birth rates in Bulgaria hesitated in the low 20s, dwarfed by rates of + 40‰ among Orthodox Christians, while natural increase rates hovered around zero.[31] The ongoing Muslim demographic crisis and the heavy migration to Turkey were the two primary reasons for the rapid decrease in Bulgaria's Muslim and Turkish population between 1880 and 1910, from 28.7% in 1880 to 13.8% in 1910 for Muslims and from 26.2% to 10.7% for Turks.
Muslim birth and natural increase rates started climbing slowly from the late 1890s but only surpassed Orthodox ones in 1924. Nevertheless, it was not the Eastern Orthodox but rather Bulgaria'sRoman Catholics that had the highest birth rate during the period, though usually offset by very high mortality rates.
| Confession | Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ | |
| Eastern Orthodox | 104,749 | 40.1 | 78,165 | 30.0 | 10.1 |
| Muslims | 14,972 | 23.3 | 13,924 | 21.8 | 1.5 |
| Jews | 1,038 | 36.6 | 684 | 24.1 | 12.5 |
| Roman Catholics | 911 | 40.3 | 901 | 39.8 | 0.5 |
| Armenian Gregorians | 210 | 31.6 | 173 | 26.2 | 5.4 |
| Protestants | 49 | 20.5 | 35 | 14.7 | 5.8 |
| TOTAL | 121,929 | 36.7 | 93,883 | 28.4 | 8.3 |
| Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ |
| 125,151 | 41.4 | 70,608 | 23.4 | 18.0 |
| 20,071 | 31.2 | 15,786 | 24.5 | 6.7 |
| 1,295 | 38.5 | 551 | 16.4 | 22.1 |
| 1,163 | 40.7 | 818 | 28.6 | 12.1 |
| 383 | 27.7 | 298 | 21.6 | 6.1 |
| 119 | 26.3 | 70 | 15.5 | 10.8 |
| 148,182 | 39.6 | 88,081 | 23.5 | 16.1 |
| Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ |
| 148,076 | 44.2 | 72,816 | 21.8 | 22.4 |
| 23,122 | 38.3 | 14,041 | 23.3 | 15.0 |
| 1,288 | 34.2 | 518 | 13.7 | 20.5 |
| 1,321 | 44.5 | 785 | 26.4 | 18.1 |
| 358 | 28.3 | 279 | 22.1 | 6.2 |
| 182 | 32.2 | 85 | 15.1 | 17.1 |
| 174,347 | 43.2 | 88,524 | 21.9 | 21.3 |
| Confession | Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ | |
| Eastern Orthodox | 151,155 | 41.5 | 82,006 | 23.0 | 18.5 |
| Muslims | 23,896 | 39.7 | 15,892 | 26.4 | 13.3 |
| Jews | 1,234 | 30.8 | 532 | 13.3 | 17.5 |
| Roman Catholics | 1,361 | 42.4 | 857 | 26.7 | 15.7 |
| Armenian Gregorians | 298 | 24.1 | 241 | 19.6 | 4.5 |
| Protestants | 194 | 30.1 | 108 | 17.3 | 12.8 |
| TOTAL | 178,138 | 41.1 | 99,636 | 23.0 | 18.1 |
| Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ |
| 159,843 | 39.3 | 85,295 | 21.0 | 18.3 |
| 24,346 | 35.2 | 16,079 | 23.3 | 11.9 |
| 1,158 | 26.7 | 536 | 12.4 | 14.3 |
| 1,372 | 40.2 | 830 | 24.4 | 15.8 |
| 298 | 27.5 | 251 | 23.1 | 4.4 |
| 198 | 35.3 | 92 | 16.4 | 18.9 |
| 187,233 | 38.8 | 103,083 | 21.3 | 17.5 |
| Live births per year | Birth rate | Deaths per year | Death rate | Rate of natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ‰ | Number | ‰ | ‰ |
| 156,839 | 34.3 | 82,220 | 18.0 | 16.3 |
| 31,575 | 40.0 | 17,458 | 22.1 | 17.9 |
| 1,032 | 22.2 | 515 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| 1,566 | 38.8 | 878 | 21.7 | 17.1 |
| 646 | 25.5 | 434 | 17.1 | 8.4 |
| 221 | 32.8 | 108 | 16.0 | 16.8 |
| 191,890 | 35.0 | 101,613 | 18.5 | 16.5 |
In the 1930s and 1940s, ethnic Bulgarians completed stage 2 of theirdemographic transition, and crude birth rate among them fell to a mere 23.3‰ by 1946, or twice as low as the birth rate of Bulgaria's two largest minorities,Turks (40.9‰) andRoma (47.2‰).[34] At the same time, due to higher mortality, the rate of natural increase among Bulgarian Turks was almost identical to that among ethnic Bulgarians (12.1‰ vs. 11.1‰), while the rate among the Romani was twice as high (23.1‰).[34]
A total of 64,984 live births were recorded in Bulgaria in 2016, giving the country a crude birth rate of 9.1‰.[35]
Bulgaria has a lowtotal fertility rate of 1.58 children per woman (according to the 2021 Census). This is up significantly from the late 1990s, but still below replacement and not enough to prevent further population decline, especially with emigration. Provinces with large Roma populations (for exampleSliven,Montana andYambol) tend to have higher fertility rates (and higher death rates) compared to other areas, whereas Turkish fertility is similar to the Bulgarian majority.[36] The average number of (live births) children in 2021 was 1.47 for all women (aged 12 or more), ranging from 0.04 children for women between the ages of 12-19 to 1.92 children per women between the ages of 70-79. The distribution by ethnicity shows that only among women who identify themselves as belonging to the Roma ethnic group, the average number of children is sufficient for simple reproduction - 2.25 children, mainly because of the significantly younger age structure and low educational level of this group, followed by the Turkish ethnic group with 1.79 children and 1.41 children for women who self-identified as belonging to the Bulgarian ethnic.[37] The distribution of the average number of live births by religion changes from 1.83 children for Muslim women and 1.82 children for Protestant women, followed by 'other Christian' (1.63), Eastern Orthodox (1.43), Catholic (1.36), Jewish (1.27) and Armenian Apostolic (1.26). Women without religion had an average number of 1.40 children.
| Province | TFR (2010) | TFR (2016) | TFR (2017) | TFR (2018) | TFR (2019) | TFR (2020) | TFR (2021) | TFR (2022) | TFR (2023) | TFR (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Region | 1.53 | 1.72 | 1.72 | 1.75 | 1.77 | 1.75 | 1.73 | 1.92 | 1.94 | 1.91 |
| Vidin | 1.50 | 1.45 | 1.58 | 1.68 | 1.65 | 1.45 | 1.64 | 1.83 | 1.92 | 1.93 |
| Vratsa | 1.46 | 1.77 | 1.68 | 1.81 | 1.83 | 1.85 | 1.76 | 1.84 | 1.92 | 1.92 |
| Lovech | 1.58 | 1.66 | 1.79 | 1.89 | 1.84 | 1.91 | 1.88 | 2.11 | 2.06 | 2.09 |
| Montana | 1.52 | 1.74 | 1.65 | 1.67 | 1.62 | 1.63 | 1.73 | 1.87 | 1.91 | 1.90 |
| Pleven | 1.56 | 1.80 | 1.79 | 1.71 | 1.81 | 1.76 | 1.66 | 1.93 | 1.92 | 1.83 |
| North Central Region | 1.32 | 1.45 | 1.45 | 1.45 | 1.43 | 1.37 | 1.43 | 1.73 | 1.79 | 1.62 |
| Veliko Tarnovo | 1.19 | 1.40 | 1.43 | 1.34 | 1.27 | 1.25 | 1.35 | 1.69 | 1.74 | 1.57 |
| Gabrovo | 1.43 | 1.41 | 1.49 | 1.58 | 1.69 | 1.46 | 1.43 | 1.86 | 1.79 | 1.71 |
| Razgrad | 1.37 | 1.49 | 1.48 | 1.65 | 1.60 | 1.50 | 1.53 | 1.70 | 1.77 | 1.50 |
| Ruse | 1.34 | 1.40 | 1.37 | 1.41 | 1.30 | 1.34 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.71 | 1.62 |
| Silistra | 1.49 | 1.77 | 1.71 | 1.55 | 1.76 | 1.58 | 1.60 | 2.01 | 2.08 | 1.86 |
| Northeast Region | 1.53 | 1.50 | 1.48 | 1.49 | 1.52 | 1.45 | 1.46 | 1.75 | 1.76 | 1.63 |
| Varna | 1.57 | 1.45 | 1.44 | 1.44 | 1.47 | 1.49 | 1.49 | 1.68 | 1.64 | 1.56 |
| Dobrich | 1.44 | 1.53 | 1.51 | 1.44 | 1.56 | 1.44 | 1.37 | 1.78 | 1.94 | 1.71 |
| Targovishte | 1.67 | 1.59 | 1.57 | 1.63 | 1.61 | 1.41 | 1.46 | 1.91 | 1.93 | 1.88 |
| Shumen | 1.42 | 1.54 | 1.45 | 1.53 | 1.51 | 1.35 | 1.39 | 1.92 | 1.87 | 1.67 |
| Southeast Region | 1.67 | 1.82 | 1.88 | 1.84 | 1.87 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 2.01 | 2.14 | 2.03 |
| Burgas | 1.54 | 1.63 | 1.65 | 1.61 | 1.69 | 1.59 | 1.57 | 1.76 | 1.88 | 1.70 |
| Sliven | 1.95 | 2.24 | 2.34 | 2.27 | 2.35 | 2.24 | 2.29 | 2.57 | 2.60 | 2.59 |
| Stara Zagora | 1.64 | 1.73 | 1.80 | 1.76 | 1.72 | 1.73 | 1.73 | 1.84 | 2.05 | 1.96 |
| Yambol | 1.70 | 1.98 | 2,00 | 2.13 | 2.06 | 2.08 | 2.07 | 2.35 | 2.43 | 2.45 |
| Southwest Region | 1.42 | 1.36 | 1.38 | 1.38 | 1.42 | 1.44 | 1.47 | 1.59 | 1.62 | 1.55 |
| Blagoevgrad | 1.46 | 1.46 | 1.45 | 1.50 | 1.62 | 1.61 | 1.62 | 1.63 | 1.77 | 1.66 |
| Kyustendil | 1.33 | 1.63 | 1.75 | 1.76 | 1.95 | 1.77 | 1.76 | 1.82 | 1.81 | 1.78 |
| Pernik | 1.35 | 1.62 | 1.66 | 1.73 | 1.68 | 1.54 | 1.67 | 1.53 | 1.47 | 1.40 |
| Sofia | 1.45 | 1.74 | 1.73 | 1.80 | 1.91 | 1.90 | 1.92 | 1.90 | 1.98 | 1.90 |
| Sofia (city) | 1.39 | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.26 | 1.28 | 1.33 | 1.36 | 1.51 | 1.53 | 1.47 |
| South Central Region | 1.50 | 1.61 | 1.65 | 1.65 | 1.66 | 1.59 | 1.59 | 1.82 | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Kardzhali | 1.49 | 1.64 | 1.66 | 1.70 | 1.74 | 1.49 | 1.31 | 1.78 | 1.89 | 1.51 |
| Pazardzhik | 1.58 | 1.72 | 1.75 | 1.85 | 1.81 | 1.70 | 1.57 | 2.02 | 2.22 | 2.03 |
| Plovdiv | 1.49 | 1.56 | 1.60 | 1.61 | 1.60 | 1.58 | 1.63 | 1.82 | 1.84 | 1.74 |
| Smolyan | 1.33 | 1.45 | 1.47 | 1.40 | 1.49 | 1.49 | 1.48 | 1.33 | 1.45 | 1.54 |
| Haskovo | 1.53 | 1.70 | 1.75 | 1.62 | 1.71 | 1.59 | 1.63 | 1.82 | 1.83 | 1.77 |
| Bulgaria | 1.49 | 1.54 | 1.56 | 1.56 | 1.58 | 1.56 | 1.58 | 1.78 | 1.81 | 1.72 |
As of 2022, the municipality ofTvarditsa has the highest crude birth rate in the country, at 18.4‰, followed by the municipalities ofYablanitsa (17.9‰) andNikolaevo Municipality (17.2‰). All these municipalities have relatively largeRomani populations.
On the other hand, the municipalities ofGeorgi Damyanovo,Banite andNevestino have incredibly low birth rates. These municipalities are almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians.
Bulgaria has one of the highest share of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Nevertheless, this number declined rapidly between 1995 and 2010, until it stabilized at around 10%.
| Number of teenage mothers in Bulgaria in the period 1990-2024[42] | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
| All live births in Bulgaria | 105,180 | 71,967 | 73,679 | 69,886 | 75,513 | 65,950 | 63,955 | 59,086 | 58,678 | 56,596 | 57,197 | 53,428 | ||||||
| Mothers aged under twenty | 22,518 | 16,278 | 12,787 | 10,625 | 8,411 | 6,274 | 6,038 | 5,970 | 5,861 | 5,769 | 5,820 | 5,819 | ||||||
| Share of teenage mothers | 21.4% | 22.6% | 17.4% | 15.2% | 11.1% | 9.5% | 9.4% | 10.1% | 10.0% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.9% | ||||||
The ten municipalities with the largest absolute number of teenage mothers for 2022 are:Sliven (371),Sofia (345),Plovdiv (196),Pazardzhik (130),Yambol (123),Nova Zagora (121),Burgas (108),Pleven (110),Tvarditsa (98),Stara Zagora,Varna (83) andHaskovo (81).[42]
| Top ten municipalities with the highest share of mothers aged under twenty (2022)[42] | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | All live births | Births to mothers aged under twenty | % of all live births | |||||||||||||||
| Gurkovo Municipality | 54 | 25 | 46.3% | |||||||||||||||
| Simeonovgrad Municipality | 78 | 33 | 43.3% | |||||||||||||||
| Ugarchin Municipality | 75 | 32 | 42.7% | |||||||||||||||
| Yablanitsa Municipality | 99 | 40 | 40.4% | |||||||||||||||
| Tvarditsa Municipality | 243 | 98 | 40.4% | |||||||||||||||
| Kaynardzha Municipality | 63 | 25 | 39.7% | |||||||||||||||
| Straldzha Municipality | 127 | 47 | 37.0% | |||||||||||||||
| Maglizh Municipality | 101 | 36 | 35.6% | |||||||||||||||
| Sredets Municipality | 118 | 41 | 34.7% | |||||||||||||||
| Nova Zagora Municipality | 371 | 121 | 32.6% | |||||||||||||||
74.83 years 71.37 years 78.39 years (2016-2018 est.)[43]
Averagelife expectancy at age 0 of the total population.[44]
| Period | Life expectancy in Years |
|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 62.33 |
| 1955–1960 | 66.78 |
| 1960–1965 | 70.28 |
| 1965–1970 | 70.91 |
| 1970–1975 | 71.07 |
| 1975–1980 | 71.10 |
| 1980–1985 | 71.24 |
| 1985–1990 | 71.39 |
| 1990–1995 | 71.11 |
| 1995–2000 | 70.97 |
| 2000–2005 | 72.19 |
| 2005–2010 | 73.13 |
| 2010–2015 | 74.25 |
| 2016–2018 | 74.83 |
Kardzhali Province andSofia City have the highest life expectancy with 76.6 years for both sexes. The lowest life expectancy is recorded in theNorthwestern provinces likeMontana (72.7 years),Vratsa (72.8 years) andVidin (72.9 years).[45]
4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024)[46] 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024) 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024)The following forecast for the future population is an official estimate of the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria.[47]
| Year | Population |
| 2025 | 6,263,384 |
| 2030 | 6,007,657 |
| 2035 | 5,801,261 |
| 2040 | 5,637,361 |
| 2045 | 5,505,143 |
| 2050 | 5,391,291 |
| 2055 | 5,287,150 |
| 2060 | 5,189,165 |
| 2065 | 5,099,550 |
| 2070 | 5,025,580 |
| 2075 | 4,971,948 |
| 2080 | 4,937,302 |
| 2085 | 4,919,505 |
| 2090 | 4,915,423 |
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.[48]
Demographic statistics according to theCIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[49]
.rate of urbanization: -0.22% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Of the total 7,364,570 as of 2011, 3,586,571 aremales and 3,777,999 arefemales, or there are 1,053 women for every 1,000 men.
The progressive decrease of the Bulgarian population is hindering economic growth and welfare improvement, and the management measures taken to mitigate the negative consequences do not address the essence of the problem. The Government implemented a program for the period 2017 - 2021, the first one aimed at reversing this trend. The program identifies the priority means for achieving this goal: measures to increase the birth rate, reduce youth emigration, and build up regulatory and institutional capacity to implement a modern immigration policy tailored to the needs of Bulgarian business.[50][51]
| Ethnic group | census 1900 | census 1905 | census 1910 | census 1920 | census 1926 | census 1934 | census 1946 | census 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |||||||||||
| Bulgarians[52] | 2,888,219 | 77.1 | 3,203,810 | 79.4 | 3,518,756 | 81.1 | 4,036,056 | 83.3 | 4,557,706 | 83.2 | 5,204,217 | 85.6 | 5,903,580 | 84.0 | 6,506,541 | 85.5 | ||||||||||
| Turks[52] | 531,240 | 14.2 | 488,010 | 12.1 | 465,641 | 10.7 | 520,339 | 10.7 | 577,552 | 10.5 | 591,193 | 9.7 | 675,500 | 9.6 | 656,025 | 8.6 | ||||||||||
| Roma[52] | 89,549 | 2.4 | 99,004 | 2.5 | 122,296 | 2.8 | 98,451 | 2.0 | 134,844 | 2.5 | 149,385 | 2.5 | 170,011 | 2.4 | 197,8651 | 2.6 | ||||||||||
| Romanians | 71,063 | 1.9 | 75,773 | 1.9 | 79,429 | 1.8 | 57,312 | 1.2 | 69,080 | 1.2 | 16,504 | 0.3 | 2,459 | 0.0 | 3,749 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Greeks | 66,635 | 1.8 | 63,487 | 1.6 | 43,275 | 1.0 | 42,074 | 0.9 | 10,564 | 0.2 | 9,601 | 0.2 | 3,623 | 0.0 | 7,437 | 0.1 | ||||||||||
| Jews | 33,661 | 0.9 | 37,663 | 0.9 | 40,133 | 0.9 | 43,209 | 0.9 | 46,558 | 0.8 | 48,565 | 0.8 | 44,209 | 0.6 | 6,027 | 0.1 | ||||||||||
| Tatars | 18,884 | 0.5 | 17,942 | 0.4 | 18,228 | 0.4 | 4,905 | 0.1 | 6,191 | 0.1 | 8,133 | 0.1 | 5,993 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Armenians | 14,581 | 0.4 | 14,178 | 0.4 | 12,932 | 0.3 | 11,509 | 0.2 | 27,332 | 0.5 | 25,963 | 0.4 | 21,637 | 0.3 | 21,954 | 0.3 | ||||||||||
| Gagauzes | 10,175 | 0.3 | 9,329 | 0.2 | 3,669 | 0.1 | 4,362 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sarakatsani3 | 6,128 | 0.2 | 7,251 | 0.2 | 3,075 | 0.1 | 2,866 | 0.0 | 2,085 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Russians | 1,685 | 0.0 | 3,275 | 0.2 | 2,505 | 0.2 | 9,080 | 0.2 | 19,706 | 0.4 | 11,928 | 0.2 | 13,200 | 0.2 | 10,551 | 0.1 | ||||||||||
| Macedonians[53] | - | - | - | - | - | - | 169,5442 | 2.4 | 187,7892 | 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Others | 15,602 | 0.2 | 13,199 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Undeclared | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | ||||||||||
| Total | 3,744,283 | 4,035,575 | 4,337,513 | 4,846,971 | 5,528,741 | 6,077,939 | 7,029,349 | 7,613,709 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 According to x files of the state, the number of the Romani was reduced by 25,000 in 1956.[54] 2 In the 1946 and the 1956 census, the population of Pirin Macedonia was forced to list as ethnic Macedonians by theCommunist government in preparation of a planned federation between thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria andSocialist Yugoslavia, with "United Macedonia" as the connecting piece. The deal fell through, and the policy was eventually reversed in 1958.[55][56] 3 Note that the distinction betweenSarakatsani and Greeks, and between Vlachs and both Aromanians and Romanians, is fluid. Sarakatsani were counted as Greeks in the 1900, 1920, 1926, 1934, and 1965 censuses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnic group | census 1965 | census 1975 | census 19851 | census 1992[57] | census 2001[58] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |||
| Bulgarians[52] | 7,231,243 | 87.9 | 7,930,024 | 90.9 | 7,271,185 | 85.7 | 6,655,210 | 83.9 | ||||
| Turks[52] | 780,928 | 9.5 | 730,728 | 8.4 | 800,052 | 9.4 | 746,664 | 9.4 | ||||
| Roma[52] | 148,8742 | 1.8 | 18,3232 | 0.2 | 313,396 | 3.7 | 370,908 | 4.7 | ||||
| Armenians | 20,282 | 0.2 | 14,526 | 0.2 | 13,677 | 0.2 | 10,832 | 0.1 | ||||
| Russians | 10,815 | 0.1 | 17,139 | 0.2 | 15,595 | 0.2 | ||||||
| "Vlachs"(Aromanians andRomanians) | 5,159 | 0.1 | 10,566 | 0.1 | ||||||||
| Sarakatsani3 | 5,144 | 0.1 | 4,107 | 0.1 | ||||||||
| Ukrainians | 1,864 | 0.0 | 2,489 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Macedonians | 9,632 | 0.1 | 10,803 | 0.1 | 5,071 | 0.1 | ||||||
| Greeks | 8,241 | 0.1 | 4,930 | 0.1 | 3,408 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Jews | 5,108 | 0.1 | 3,076 | 3,461 | 0.0 | 1,363 | 0.0 | |||||
| Romanians | 2,491 | 0.0 | 1,088 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Tatars | 6,430 | 0.1 | 5,963 | 0.1 | 4,515 | 0.1 | 1,803 | 0.0 | ||||
| Gagauzes | 1,478 | 0.0 | 540 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Others | 25,131 | 0.3 | 23,542 | 0.3 | 12,342 | 0.2 | ||||||
| Undeclared | 0 | 0 | 8,481 | 0.1 | 62,108 | 0.8 | ||||||
| Unshown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24,807 | 0.3 | |||||||
| Total | 8,227,966 | 8,727,771 | 8,948,649 | 8,487,317 | 7,932,984 | |||||||
1No data collected about ethnic group in 1985 census. 2 There are strong indications that the number of ethnic Romani in the 1965 and 1975 census was manipulated. 3 Note that the distinction betweenSarakatsani and Greeks, and between Vlachs and both Aromanians and Romanians, is fluid. Sarakatsani were counted as Greeks in the 1900, 1920, 1926, 1934, and 1965 censuses. | ||||||||||||
| Ethnic group | census 2011[52] | census 2021[59][60] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | (%)1 | Number | % | (%)1 | |||||||
| Bulgarians[52] | 5,664,624 | 76.92 | (85.47) | 5,118,494 | 78.51 | (85.70) | ||||||
| Turks[52] | 588,318 | 7.99 | (8.88) | 508,378 | 7.80 | (8.51) | ||||||
| Roma[52] | 325,343 | 4.42 | (4.91) | 266,720 | 4.09 | (4.47) | ||||||
| Russians | 9,978 | 0.14 | (0.15) | 14,218 | 0.22 | (0.24) | ||||||
| Armenians | 6,552 | 0.09 | (0.10) | 5,306 | 0.08 | (0.09) | ||||||
| "Vlachs" | 3,684 | 0.05 | (0.06) | 1,643 | 0.03 | (0.03) | ||||||
| Sarakatsani | 2,556 | 0.03 | (0.04) | 2,071 | 0.03 | (0.03) | ||||||
| Ukrainians | 1,789 | 0.02 | (0.03) | 3,239 | 0.05 | (0.05) | ||||||
| Macedonians | 1,654 | 0.02 | (0.02) | 1,143 | 0.02 | (0.02) | ||||||
| Greeks | 1,379 | 0.02 | (0.02) | 1,625 | 0.02 | (0.02) | ||||||
| Jews | 1,162 | 0.02 | (0.02) | 1,153 | 0.02 | (0.02) | ||||||
| Romanians | 891 | 0.01 | (0.01) | 683 | 0.01 | (0.01) | ||||||
| Tatars | 1,129 | 0.2 | (0.02) | |||||||||
| Gagauzes | 40 | 0.0 | (0.00) | |||||||||
| Others | 19,659 | 0.27 | (0.30) | 46,7962 | 0.62 | (0.78) | ||||||
| Undeclared | 736,981 | 10.00 | - | 79,513 | 1.22 | - | ||||||
| No return/Data borrowed from administrative sources | - | - | - | 467,678 | 7.1 | - | ||||||
| Total | 7,364,570 | 6,519,789 | ||||||||||
| 1 Percentages in parentheses are calculated only based on the number of people who answered the ethnicity question (6,680,980 for 2011 and 6,052,111 for 2021) and do not cover people whose data has been collected from administrative databases. 2Includes, among other things, 2,894 Englishmen, 865 Italians, 824 Poles, etc. etc. | ||||||||||||
The following table shows the ethnic composition of all Provinces of Bulgaria according to the 2021 census:
| Province | Bulgarian | Turkish | Romani | Other | Undeclared | Unknown1, 2 | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |||
| Blagoevgrad Province | 236,951 | 81.9 | 14,028 | 4.8 | 12,138 | 4.2 | 11,197 | 3.8 | 3,768 | 1.3 | 13,965 | 4.8 | 292,227 | 100.0 | ||
| Burgas Province | 280,388 | 73.7 | 47,286 | 12.4 | 14,893 | 3.9 | 5,992 | 1.6 | 5,805 | 1.5 | 25,922 | 6.8 | 380,286 | 100.0 | ||
| Dobrich Province | 109,041 | 72.6 | 18,835 | 12.5 | 10,118 | 6.8 | 2,035 | 1.4 | 1,304 | 1.3 | 8,813 | 5.9 | 150,146 | 100.0 | ||
| Gabrovo Province | 89,394 | 90.9 | 4,723 | 4.8 | 792 | 0.8 | 735 | 0.7 | 1,068 | 1.1 | 1,675 | 1.9 | 98,387 | 100.0 | ||
| Haskovo Province | 154,088 | 72.8 | 25,555 | 12.1 | 12,572 | 5.9 | 1,764 | 0.8 | 2,254 | 1.1 | 15,332 | 7.2 | 211,565 | 100.0 | ||
| Kardzhali Province | 37,383 | 26.5 | 83,280 | 59.0 | 1,354 | 1.0 | 2,130 | 1.5 | 4,909 | 3.5 | 12,121 | 8.6 | 141,177 | 100.0 | ||
| Kyustendil Province | 101,735 | 91.0 | 56 | 0.0 | 6,555 | 5.9 | 329 | 0.3 | 509 | 0.5 | 2,552 | 2.3 | 111,736 | 100.0 | ||
| Lovech Province | 103,484 | 88.9 | 2,789 | 2.4 | 4,999 | 4.3 | 407 | 0.3 | 2,202 | 1.9 | 2,513 | 2.2 | 116,394 | 100.0 | ||
| Montana Province | 99,539 | 83.0 | 136 | 0.1 | 13,130 | 10.9 | 381 | 0.3 | 984 | 0.8 | 5,780 | 4.8 | 119,950 | 100.0 | ||
| Pazardzhik Province | 184,677 | 80.4 | 6,782 | 3.0 | 14,320 | 6.2 | 4,686 | 2.0 | 2,189 | 1.0 | 17,160 | 7.5 | 229,814 | 100.0 | ||
| Pernik Province | 107,459 | 94.1 | 128 | 0.1 | 3,554 | 3.1 | 388 | 0.3 | 718 | 0.6 | 1,925 | 1.7 | 114,162 | 100.0 | ||
| Pleven Province | 200,197 | 88.5 | 5,367 | 2.4 | 6,999 | 3.1 | 937 | 0.4 | 1,829 | 0.8 | 10,791 | 4.8 | 226,120 | 100.0 | ||
| Plovdiv Province | 513,249 | 80.9 | 39,585 | 6.2 | 26,296 | 4.1 | 5,004 | 0.8 | 8,134 | 1.3 | 42,229 | 6.7 | 634,497 | 100.0 | ||
| Razgrad Province | 38,873 | 37.7 | 49,318 | 47.8 | 5,806 | 5.6 | 1,957 | 1.9 | 1,915 | 1.9 | 5,363 | 5.2 | 103,223 | 100.0 | ||
| Ruse Province | 148,845 | 76.9 | 23,958 | 12.4 | 7,041 | 3.6 | 2,060 | 1.1 | 2,315 | 1.2 | 9,264 | 4.8 | 193,483 | 100.0 | ||
| Shumen Province | 81,907 | 54.1 | 44,263 | 29.2 | 11,268 | 7.4 | 2,118 | 1.4 | 1,872 | 1.2 | 10,037 | 6.6 | 151,465 | 100.0 | ||
| Silistra Province | 51,579 | 52.8 | 34,392 | 35.7 | 5,244 | 5.4 | 694 | 0.7 | 793 | 0.8 | 5,068 | 5.2 | 97,770 | 100.0 | ||
| Sliven Province | 115,607 | 66.9 | 13,217 | 7.7 | 23,918 | 13.9 | 1,861 | 1.1 | 1,691 | 1.0 | 16,396 | 9.5 | 172,690 | 100.0 | ||
| Smolyan Province | 86,818 | 90.2 | 3,049 | 3.2 | 483 | 0.5 | 3,589 | 3.7 | 1,609 | 1.7 | 736 | 0.73 | 96,284 | 100.0 | ||
| Sofia City | 1,058,553 | 83.1 | 5,881 | 0.5 | 13,960 | 1.1 | 13,766 | 1.1 | 16,086 | 1.2 | 166,044 | 13.0 | 1,274,290 | 100.0 | ||
| Sofia Province | 204,662 | 88.2 | 342 | 0.1 | 11,380 | 4.9 | 742 | 0.3 | 1,459 | 0.6 | 13,404 | 5.8 | 231,989 | 100.0 | ||
| Stara Zagora Province | 239,770 | 80.9 | 12,170 | 4.1 | 18,158 | 6.1 | 2,465 | 0.8 | 2,929 | 1.0 | 21,015 | 7.1 | 296,507 | 100.0 | ||
| Targovishte Province | 46,455 | 47.3 | 34,279 | 34.9 | 5,980 | 6.1 | 2,828 | 2.9 | 2,091 | 2.1 | 6,061 | 6.2 | 98,144 | 100.0 | ||
| Varna Province | 352,886 | 81.6 | 25,678 | 5.9 | 9,634 | 2.2 | 7,664 | 1.8 | 6,187 | 1.4 | 30,149 | 7.0 | 432,198 | 100.0 | ||
| Veliko Tarnovo Province | 178,491 | 86.1 | 11,348 | 5.5 | 3,655 | 1.8 | 1,652 | 0.8 | 2,314 | 1.1 | 9,911 | 4.8 | 207,371 | 100.0 | ||
| Vidin Province | 68,143 | 90.4 | 65 | 0.0 | 5,055 | 6.7 | 345 | 0.5 | 306 | 0.4 | 1,494 | 2.0 | 75,408 | 100.0 | ||
| Vratsa Province | 137,587 | 90.0 | 424 | 0.3 | 10,132 | 6.6 | 444 | 0.3 | 1,629 | 1.1 | 2,587 | 1.7 | 152,813 | 100.0 | ||
| Yambol Province | 90,733 | 82.7 | 994 | 0.9 | 7,116 | 6.5 | 836 | 0.8 | 643 | 0.6 | 9,371 | 8.5 | 109,693 | 100.0 | ||
| Republic of Bulgaria | 5,118,494 | 78.5 | 508,378 | 7.8 | 266,720 | 4.1 | 79,006 | 1.2 | 79,513 | 1.2 | 467,678 | 7.2 | 6,519,789 | 100.0 | ||
1 The category pertains to citizens whose data has been collected from administrative databases. 2 The online stage of the 2021 Census was subjected to repeated DDoS attacks.[62] As a result, much fewer citizens than expected, especially in major urban areas, were able to take the online census, and the number of hired census assessors proved inadequate to ensure full census coverage in most major cities. Thus, theCity of Sofia had a record-high number of no returns, 166,044, or 35.5% of the country total, despite being home to only 19.5% of the population. 3 The province with most missing returns for 2011 (21.7%),Smolyan, had record-high participation in 2021, with only 736 or 0.7% missing returns.[61] | ||||||||||||||||
| Bulgarian | 86.2% | |||
| Turkish | 8.8% | |||
| Romani | 3.9% | |||
| others | 1.1% | |||
| Mother tongue | census 1880[64][65] | census 1887[66] | census 1892[67] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Bulgarian | 1,345,507 | 67.0 | 2,326,250 | 73.7 | 2,505,326 | 75.7 |
| Turkish/Gagauz | 527,284 | 26.3 | 607,331 | 19.3 | 569,728 | 17.2 |
| "Vlach" | 49,070 | 2.4 | ||||
| Romanian | 62,628 | 1.9 | ||||
| Roma | 37,600 | 1.9 | 50,291 | 1.6 | 52,132 | 1.6 |
| Ladino | 14,020 | 0.7 | 27,531 | 0.8 | ||
| Tatar | 12,376 | 0.6 | 16,290 | 0.5 | ||
| Greek | 11,152 | 0.6 | 58,326 | 1.8 | 58,518 | 1.8 |
| Armenian | 3,837 | 6,445 | 0.2 | |||
| Serbo-Croatian | 1,894 | |||||
| Serbian | 818 | |||||
| German/Yiddish | 1,280 | |||||
| German | 3,620 | |||||
| Russian | 1,123 | 928 | ||||
| Albanian | 530 | |||||
| Italian | 515 | 803 | ||||
| Hungarian | 220 | |||||
| Czech | 174 | |||||
| French | 164 | 356 | ||||
| Arabic | 97 | |||||
| Polish | 92 | |||||
| English | 64 | |||||
| Circassian | 63 | |||||
| Persian | 58 | |||||
| Others | 402 | 4,425 | ||||
| Unknown | 1,165 | |||||
| Total | 2,007,919 | 3 154 375 | 3,310,713 | |||
| Territory (km2) | 63,752 | 95,223 | 95,223 | |||
The 2001 census defines an ethnic group as a "community of people, related to each other by origin and language, and close to each other by mode of life and culture"; and one's mother tongue as "the language a person speaks best and usually uses for communication in the family (household)".[68]According to the 2011 census, among the Bulgarians 99.4% indicate Bulgarian as a mother tongue, 0.3% - Turkish/Balkan gagauz, 0.1% - Roma and 0.1% others; among Turks 96.6% have pointed the Turkish/Balkan Gagauz as a mother tongue and 3.2% - Bulgarian; among the Roma 85% indicate Roma language as a mother tongue, 7.5% - Bulgarian, 6.7% - Turkish/Balkan gagauz and 0.6% - Romanian.
Bulgaria's traditional religion according to the constitution is theOrthodox Christianity, while Bulgaria is asecular state too. Since the last two censuses (2001 and 2011) provide widely divergent results, they are both shown in the table below. It is noteworthy that over a fifth of the population chose not to respond to this question in the 2011 census.
| 2001[69] | 2011[7][70] | |
| Orthodox Christian | 82.6% | 59.4% |
| Muslim | 12.2% | 7.8%(7.4% Sunni; 0.4% Shia) |
| Catholic | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Protestant | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.15% |
| None | 3.9% | 9.3% |
| No response | - | 21.8% |
The results of the Bulgarian 2011 Census, in which the indication of answer regarding the question for confession was optional, are as follows:[71]
| Group | Population | % of declared | % of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orthodoxy | 4,374,135 | 76.0% | 59.4% |
| Undeclared | 1,606,269 | - | 21.8% |
| Irreligion | 682,162 | 11.8% | 9.3% |
| Islam | 577,139 | 10.0% | 7.8% |
| Protestantism | 64,476 | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Roman Catholicism | 48,945 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Oriental Orthodoxy | 1,715 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Jews | 706 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Others | 9,023 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Figure of percentage | - | 5,758,301 | 7,364,570 |
The results of the Bulgarian 2001 Census by ethnic groups, the latest census in which the indication of identification (whether by confession or as irreligious) in the question for confession was obligatory, are as follows:[72][73]
| Ethnic groups by confession | Total | Bulgarians | Turks | Roma | Others | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Orthodoxy | 6,552,751 | 82.6 | 6,315,938 | 94.9 | 5,425 | 0.7 | 180,326 | 48.6 | 51,062 | |
| Islam | 966,978 | 12.2 | 131,531 | 2.0 | 713,024 | 95.5 | 103,436 | 27.9 | 18,987 | |
| Irreligion | 308,116 | 3.9 | 151,008 | 2.3 | 23,146 | 3.1 | 59,669 | 16.1 | ||
| Roman Catholicism | 43,811 | 0.6 | 37,811 | 0.6 | 2,561 | 0.3 | ||||
| Protestantism | 42,308 | 0.5 | 14,591 | 0.2 | 2,066 | 0.3 | 24,651 | 6.6 | 1,000 | |
| Others | 14,937 | 0.2 | 4,331 | 0.1 | 442 | 0.1 | ||||
| Total population | 7,928,901 | 100.0 | 6,655,210 | 100.0 | 746,664 | 100.0 | 370,908 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Religion | census 1900 | census 1910 | census 1920 | census 1926 | census 1934 | census 1992 | census 2001 | census 2011 | census 2021 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Orthodoxy | 3,019,999 | 80.6 | 3,643,918 | 84.0 | 4,062,097 | 83.8 | 4,569,074 | 83.4 | 5,128,890 | 84.4 | 7,274,592 | 85.7 | 6,552,751 | 82.6 | 4,374,135 | 59.4 | 4,091,780 | 62.8 |
| Islam | 643,300 | 17.2 | 602,078 | 13.8 | 690,734 | 14.2 | 789,296 | 14.4 | 821,298 | 13.5 | 1,110,295 | 13.0 | 966,978 | 12.2 | 577,139 | 7.8 | 638,708 | 9.8 |
| Protestantism | 4,524 | 0.1 | 6,335 | 0.1 | 5,617 | 0.1 | 6,735 | 0.1 | 8,371 | 0.1 | 21,878 | 0.2 | 42,308 | 0.5 | 64,476 | 0.9 | 69,852 | 1.1 |
| Roman Catholicism | 28,569 | 0.8 | 32,150 | 0.7 | 34,072 | 0.7 | 40,347 | 0.7 | 45,704 | 0.7 | 53,074 | 0.6 | 43,811 | 0.5 | 48,945 | 0.7 | 38,709 | 0.6 |
| Jews | 33,663 | 0.9 | 40,067 | 0.9 | 43,232 | 0.9 | 46,431 | 0.8 | 48,398 | 0.8 | 2,580 | 0.0 | 706 | 0.0 | 1,736 | 0.0 | ||
| Armenian Apostolic Church | 13,809 | 0.4 | 12,259 | 0.3 | 10,848 | 0.2 | 25,402 | 0.5 | 23,476 | 0.4 | 9,672 | 0.1 | 1,715 | 0.0 | 5,002 | 0.1 | ||
| Others | 326 | 0.0 | 14,937 | 0.2 | 9,023 | 0.1 | 6,451 | 0.1 | ||||||||||
| Irreligion | 272,264 | 3.7 | 305,102 | 4.7 | ||||||||||||||
| Undeclared | 93 | 0.0 | 308,116 | 3.9 | 2,015,258 | 27.4 | 731,841 | 11.2 | ||||||||||
| Borrowed from adm. sources | 616,681 | 9.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 3,744,283 | 4,337,513 | 4,846,971 | 5,478,741 | 6,077,939 | 8,487,317 | 7,928,901 | 7,364,570 | 6,519,789 | |||||||||
The first censuses of thePrincipality of Bulgaria and the autonomous province ofEastern Rumelia in 1880 recorded 31,786 and 17,970 Bulgarian refugees fromMacedonia andOttoman Thrace, respectively, who accounted for 1.38% of the population of the Principality an 2.20% of the population of the autonomous province, respectively.[74][75][76] The census of the Principality also counted a total of 37,635 people, or 1.88% of the population, born in a country other than theOttoman Empire, mostly Bulgarians fromRomania,Northern Dobruja andBessarabia.[74] By 1887, when the first joint census of the Principality and the autonomous province was conducted following their peacefulunification in 1885, the number of the refugees from the Ottoman Empire had grown to 54,462 people, or 1.73% of the population, while the rest of the foreign-born population had fallen to 31,637 people, 9,831 of whom born in theRussian Empire, 11,843 inRomania, 2,690 inSerbia and 7,273 elsewhere.[77]
According to the 1910 census, 300,000 or almost 10% of the ethnic Bulgarians were born in another Bulgarian municipality than the one they were enumerated in. The same data shows that the foreign-born ethnic Bulgarians numbered 78,000, or 2% of them, most numerous of whom were the 61,000Ottoman-born, 9,000 Romanian-born and by less than 2,000Austro-Hungarian, Serbian and Russian-born.[78] By the 1926 census, there had been 253,000 refugees with granted households and land or citizenship but with many more in towns of uncertain number. 35% came fromEastern Thrace, 30% came fromGreek Macedonia, another 18% fromWestern Thrace, 8% fromDobruja, 4% from theWestern Outlands, 3% fromAsia Minor, and 2% fromNorth Macedonia. They constituted 6% of the country's population. In 1940, 70,000 Bulgarianswere exchanged fromNorthern Dobruja. The total number of refugees in 1878-1940 is estimated at between 700,000 and 1,200,000.[79]In 1950-1951, around 150,000 Turks left Bulgaria for Turkey, andagain in 1989.
According to the 2011 censusRussian citizens are the most numerous foreigners - 11 991, followed by 8 444 EU citizens (UK- 2 605, Greece - 1 253, Germany- 848, Poland - 819 and Italy - 456), citizens ofUkraine - 3 064,North Macedonia - 1 091,Moldova - 893 andSerbia - 569. 22.8% of them are from Asia, mostly from Turkey. Those with dual Bulgarian and other citizenship were 22 152, or 0.3% of the population. Of them persons with Bulgarian and Russian citizenship were 5 257 (23.7%), followed by persons with Bulgarian and Turkish citizenship - 4 282 (19.3%), Bulgarian and citizenship of the USA- 1 725 (7.8%). There are at least 17,527Refugees of the Syrian Civil War with applications in Bulgaria. In 2001-2015 185,447 people applied for Bulgarian citizenship and 116,222 were provided with. 113,647 were granted on grounds of proven Bulgarian ancestry, including 59,968 North Macedonia citizens. 29,218 wereMoldovan citizens, 5930 Ukrainians, 5374 Serbians, 5194 Russians, 3840 Israeli, 2192 Albanians, 692 Turks and others.[80] In 2016, 12,880 foreigners were naturalized, including 6196 Macedonians.[81]
| Nationality | 2011 | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| Bulgarians | 7,327,847 | 99.50% | 6,459,248 | 99.07% |
| Foreigners | 36,723 | 0.50% | 60,541 | 0.93% |
 EU-27 | 8,444 | 0.11% | 10,549 | 0.16% |
| Other European | 18,413 | 0.15% | 35,901 | 0.55% |
| Africa | 429 | 0.01% | 940 | 0.01% |
| Central and South America | 338 | 0.00% | 518 | 0.01% |
| North America | 588 | 0.01% | 776 | 0.01% |
| Asia | 8,403 | 0.11% | 10,466 | 0.16% |
| Oceania | 62 | 0.00% | 88 | 0.00% |
| Stateless | 46 | 0.00% | 1,303 | 0.02% |
| Total | 7,364,570 | 6,519,789 | ||
| Nationality | 2011 | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
 Russian Federation | 11,911 | 32.84% | 17,465 | 28.85% |
 Ukraine | 3,064 | 8.45% | 6,163 | 10.18% |
 Turkey | 2,741 | 7.56% | 3,017 | 4.99% |
 United Kingdom | 2,605 | 7.09% | 4,484 | 7.41% |
 Greece | 1,253 | 3.41% | 1,631 | 2.69% |
 Armenia | 1,167 | 3.22% | 1,048 | 1.73% |
 North Macedonia | 1,091 | 3.01% | 1,576 | 2.60% |
 Germany | 848 | 2.31% | 1,797 | 2.97% |
 China | 749 | 2.04% | 1,683 | 2.78% |
 Syria | 729 | 2.00% | 2,615 | 4.32% |
| Total | 36,723 | 60,541 | ||
| Country of birth | 2011 | 2024[83] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| European | ||||
| Bulgarian | ||||
| Russian | 18,725 | 32,951 | ||
 Romanian | 6,046 | 3,794 | ||
| Ukrainian | 5,877 | 23,519 | ||
| Greek | 4,931 | 10,705 | ||
| British | 3,042 | 12,409 | ||
| Macedonian | 2,427 | 5,691 | ||
| German | 2,083 | 17,342 | ||
| Other | ||||
| Asian | ||||
| Turkish | 3,957 | 17,562 | ||
 Kazakh | 970 | 2,845 | ||
| Chinese | 860 | 1,715 | ||
 Uzbek | 683 | 1,471 | ||
 Bengali | 629 | 117 | ||
 Vietnamese | 624 | 718 | ||
 Afghan | 298 | 927 | ||
 Indian | 151 | 993 | ||
 Tajik | 120 | 200 | ||
 Pakistani | 41 | 297 | ||
 Nepali | 5 | 44 | ||
| Other | ||||
| Arabian | ||||
| Syrian | 1,250 | 12,249 | ||
 Iraqi | 666 | 1009 | ||
 Lebanese | 618 | 1118 | ||
 Algerian | 385 | 211 | ||
| Other | 906 | 2,520 | ||
| African | ||||
| Sub-Saharan | 624 | 1,383 | ||
| Caribbean | 572 | |||
| Latin American | ||||
 Brazilian | 91 | 291 | ||
 Mexican | 25 | 134 | ||
 Colombian | 23 | 116 | ||
| Other | ||||
 American | 1,182 | 3,279 | ||
| Unknown | ||||
| Total | ||||
Population by country of birth:[84]
| 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | 2019[85] | 2023 | 2024[83] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 7,290,666 | 7,188,273 | 7,077,389 | 6,951,482 | 6,277,700 | 6,232,331 |
| Total foreign-born | 78,621 | 96,113 | 123,803 | 168,516 | 168,595 | 211,839 |
| Russia | 18,725 | 19,533 | 24,416 | 31,679 | 28,498 | 32,951 |
| Ukraine | 5,877 | 6,084 | 7,039 | 10,115 | 13,638 | 23,519 |
| Turkey | 3,955 | 6,227 | 9,284 | 11,702 | 11,259 | 17,562 |
| UK | 3,042 | 5,066 | 6,738 | 9,992 | 11,307 | 12,409 |
| Syria | 1,250 | 1,298 | 8,318 | 14,080 | 7,546 | 12,249 |
| Greece | 4,928 | 7,377 | 7,166 | 8,563 | 9,959 | 10,705 |
| Germany | 2,083 | 3,638 | 5,533 | 9,334 | 13,533 | 9,334 |
 Spain | 1,558 | 4,065 | 5,240 | 7,098 | 6,675 | 7,278 |
 Italy | 1,082 | 2,261 | 2,830 | 3,790 | 5,518 | 6,350 |
| North Macedonia | 2,426 | 2,384 | 2,742 | 3,595 | 5,104 | 5,691 |
 Moldova | 1,893 | 1,996 | 2,363 | 2,990 | 3,905 | 4,530 |
| Romania | 6,045 | 5,380 | 4,612 | 4,556 | 3,870 | 3,794 |
 Serbia | 2,306 | 2,246 | 2,318 | 2,879 | 3,075 | 3,613 |
 France | 562 | 1,255 | 1,781 | 2,614 | 2,881 | 3,569 |
| USA | 1,180 | 2,023 | 2,431 | 3,153 | 2,905 | 3,279 |
Foreigners by nationality:
| 2011 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 36,723 | 65,622 |
| Russia | 11,991 | 17,943 |
| Turkey | 2,741 | 8,157 |
| Syria | 729 | 7,508 |
| Ukraine | 3,064 | 3,874 |
| UK | 2,605 | 3,693 |
| Unknown | 2,538 | |
| Greece | 1,253 | 2,094 |
| Stateless | 1,875 | |
| North Macedonia | 1,091 | 1,289 |
| Germany | 848 | 1,266 |
| Armenia | 1,167 | 1,175 |
| China | 749 | 1,147 |
| Moldova | 893 | 1,018 |
 Poland | 819 | 978 |
| USA | 876 | |
| Italy | 456 | 815 |
| Serbia | 569 | 813 |
| Iraq | 706 | 806 |
| Kazakhstan | 712 |
| Year | Immigrants | Emigrants | Net Migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1,561 | 2,958 | -1,397 |
| 2008 | 1,236 | 2,112 | -876 |
| 2009 | 3,310 | 19,039 | -15,729 |
| 2010 | 3,518 | 27,708 | -24,190 |
| 2011 | 4,722 | 9,517 | -4,795 |
| 2012 | 14,103 | 16,615 | -2,512 |
| 2013 | 18,570 | 19,678 | -1,108 |
| 2014 | 26,615 | 28,727 | -2,112 |
| 2015 | 25,223 | 29,470 | -4,247 |
| 2016 | 21,241 | 30,570 | -9,329 |
| 2017 | 25,597 | 31,586 | -5,999 |
| 2018 | 29,559 | 33,225 | -3,666 |
| 2019 | 37,929 | 39,941 | -2,012 |
| 2020 | 37,364 | 6,649 | 30,715 |
| 2021 | 39,461 | 26,755 | 12,706 |
| 2022 | 40,619 | 13,175 | 27,444 |
| 2023 | 56,807 | 15,227 | 41,580 |
| 2024 | 52,189 | 13,002 | 39,002 |
13.2% 68.3% 18.5% (Census 2011)[7]At the 2011 census, the largest cohort of those self-identified asRomani was the 0–9 years cohort, which accounted for 20.8% of all Romani. The same age cohort accounted for 10.2% of theTurks and 7.2% of theBulgarians.[87] At the 2021 census, the 0–9 years cohort amongst the Romani was second largest after the 10–19 years one and represented 17.0% of all Romani.[88] The corresponding percentages for ethnic Bulgarians and ethnic Turks stood at 7.7% and 8.8%, respectively.
| Ethnicity of children aged 0–9 per province (% from the declared) | |||
| Province | Ethnicity | Ethnicity | Ethnicity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian | Turkish | Roma | |
| Bulgaria | 72.9% | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| Blagoevgrad Province | 80.9% | 7.3% | 7.8% |
| Burgas Province | 68.5% | 16.2% | 9.7% |
| Dobrich Province | 56.9% | 17.1% | 18.9% |
| Gabrovo Province | 85.0% | 8.2% | 3.8% |
| Haskovo Province | 62.7% | 16.5% | 16.7% |
| Kardzhali Province | 23.8% | 67.8% | 2.7% |
| Kyustendil Province | 79.4% | 0.0% | 16.1% |
| Lovech Province | 78.0% | 3.6% | 14.8% |
| Montana Province | 66.8% | 0.1% | 29.0% |
| Pazardzhik Province | 67.3% | 8.7% | 16.7% |
| Pernik Province | 90.3% | 0.1% | 7.5% |
| Pleven Province | 78.5% | 4.4% | 13.5% |
| Plovdiv Province | 74.1% | 9.3% | 11.9% |
| Razgrad Province | 33.9% | 50.0% | 10.2% |
| Ruse Province | 72.2% | 15.1% | 8.9% |
| Shumen Province | 45.5% | 31.5% | 17.6% |
| Silistra Province | 38.2% | 43.1% | 14.4% |
| Sliven Province | 55.0% | 11.6% | 28.3% |
| Smolyan Province | 87.6% | 5.0% | 1.9% |
| Sofia City | 92.2% | 0.5% | 3.6% |
| Sofia Province | 77.1% | 0.2% | 18.8% |
| Stara Zagora Province | 68.3% | 7.3% | 19.9% |
| Targovishte Province | 39.6% | 38.0% | 15.5% |
| Varna Province | 79.2% | 8.9% | 7.0% |
| Veliko Tarnovo Province | 79.9% | 11.0% | 4.4% |
| Vidin Province | 74.3% | 0.1% | 20.6% |
| Vratsa Province | 80.3% | 0.4% | 15.6% |
| Yambol Province | 62.4% | 5.8% | 26.7% |
| Source (2011 census):[52] | |||
Bulgarian children constitute the majority of all children in 23 out of 28 provinces. They constitute more than ninety percent of all children in two provinces:Sofia (city) (92%) andPernik Province (90%).
Turkish children constitute the majority inKardzhali Province (68% of self-declared) andRazgrad Province (50% of self-declared); they also constitute the largest group of all children inSilistra Province (43%).
Roma children constitute 12% of all children in Bulgaria and more than a quarter in three provinces:Montana (29%),Sliven (28%) andYambol (27%).
Bulgaria is ageing rapidly, especially in some remote rural areas.
| Age Structure (2011) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Under working age (0 – 17) | Working age (18 – 64) | Above working age (65 and over) | |
| 1 172 208 (16.0%) | 4 789 967 (65.1%) | 1 389 059 (18.9%) | |
| Age Structure (2017)[90] | |||
| Under working age (0 – 17) | Working age (18 – 64) | Above working age (65 and over) | |
| 1 065 993 (15.1%) | 4 248 503 (60.3%) | 1 735 538 (24.6%) | |
The ageing of the population leads to an increase of the median age. The median age is 43.6 as of 2017, up from 40.4 years in 2001.[91]
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Over 98% of the population is literate, the males being more literate than the females.
According to the 2011 census, about 112,778 people aged nine or more areilliterate. There are considerable differences in the share of illiterate persons amongst the three main ethnic groups. Amongst the Bulgarian ethnic group the share of illiterate is 0.5%, amongst the Turkish - 4.7% and amongst the Roma ethnic group - 11.8%.[92] About 81 thousand people aged seven or more never visited school.[93]
The number of unemployed people declined from 207,000 people (or around 6.2% of the population) in 2017[94] to 156,657 in November 2023. The unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in November 2023 according toEurostat.[95]
Most unemployed people are aged 15 to 24 years old.
Theunemployment rate in rural areas (around 10.0%) is nearly two times higher than the unemployment rate in urban areas (approximately 5.1%).
Vidin Province has the highest unemployment rate with almost one fifth of its labour force being unemployed. The provinces ofShumen (15.9%),Silistra (12.5%) andTargovishte (12.4%) also have very high unemployment rates.
According toEurostat, 82.3% per cent of the population live in privately owned and owner-occupied homes, ranking it as 12thhighest in ownership globally.[96] It is down from a recent peak of 87.6% in 2008, and has been steadily falling since.[96]
The number of Internet users has increased rapidly since 2000—from 430,000 their number grew to 1.55 million in 2004, and 3.4 million (48 per cent penetration rate) in 2010.[97] Bulgaria has the third-fastest average Broadband Internet speed in the world after South Korea and Romania with an average speed of 1,611 kbit/s.[98][99]
Currently there are three active mobile phone operators—A1,Yettel andVivacom, A1 is the largest one with 5.2 million users as of 2010,[100] Yettel has 3,9 million as of 2007 and Vivacom over 1 million[citation needed].
Bulgaria'sHIV rate is among the lowest in the world, being 0.1% or 3,800 infected as of 2009.[citation needed]
Most Bulgarians (72.5 per cent) reside in urban areas. Approximately one-sixth of them live in Sofia, which has a population exceeding 1,200,000 people.
5,338,261 or 72.5% of total population (Census 2011)[7]The assessment of fertility rates is an absolute necessity for the understanding of the growth rate of the Ottoman population. It is generally assumed that during the first thirtv years of the nineteenth century the Ottoman population decreased, beginning to increase again after 1850. This assumption is one-sided and only partly true, for it ignores the differences in growth rates between Muslim and non-Muslim groups. The non-Muslim population actually grew at a fairly fast rate after the 1830s—probably 2 percent annually; the Muslim population declined or remained the same in number. There are indications, however, that fertility rates among the Muslims began to increase after 1850. The causes of the disproportionate fertility rates among the two groups are to be found in the special economic and social conditions which favored non-Muslims and penalized the Muslims, especially Turks. Male Turks spent their peak reproductive years in military service and were unable to marry and settle down to take advantage of economic opportunities. Then, when in the nineteenth century the Ottoman state was exposed to the influence of the European capitalist economy and to intensified internal and international trade, several non-Muslim groups became the early recipients of the economic benefits—and the promoters as well—of the new economic system.
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