The mortality rate in Bulgaria is 60 percent higher than the birth rate. The country is top of the list of countries in Europe in mortality rate and fifth in aging population.

Almost 5 percent of the existing towns and villages are completely deserted, with not a single person living in them, 13 percent have a population of less than 20. These disturbing data were presented by Vice President Iliana Iotova at a conference on the demographic crisis in Bulgaria. In her words, over the next decade close to 1,000 towns and villages will have ceased to exist, and whole regions of the country are at risk of becoming demographic deserts. The genesis and main cause of these shocking figures lies in the fact there is no smart or realistic economic programme for the development of Bulgaria, Vice President Iotova said, and called for national consensus for addressing this problem.