Eurostat: The population of Bulgaria is under 7 million 11.07.2019
The population of Bulgaria is shrinking and ageing: National Statistical Institute 13.04.2020
Median age of Bulgarian population rises to over 44 years 12.04.2021

Text size

Sofia registers decline in population for the first time in 30 years

published on 4/14/21 1:19 PM

Sofia's Vitosha boulevard

Photo: BGNES

At the end of 2020, the population of Bulgaria was estimated at 6.9 million people. This is a decrease of 2.1 million people, or 23% compared to 1990.

During this period, Sofia was the only city that increased its population from 1.12 million people in 1990 to 1.33 million people in 2019.

In 2020, Sofia residents decreased by 1.53%, or 20,378 people to 1,308,412 inhabitants. This has not happened since 2001, when Sofia's population fell to 1.09 million people. But then it continued to grow.

According to experts, the data of the National Statistical Institute clearly show that the Bulgaria's smaller towns and villages no longer have the resources to supply Sofia with new residents.

The pandemic made remote work possible and reduced the attractiveness of the city, investor.bg writes.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!

Radio Bulgaria News Bulgaria National Statistical Institute population residents Sofia

More from category

Mysterious Russian ship sails near Black Sea coast

The phantom ship VIVA 962 has changed at least 10 names and many owners before it surprisingly appeared near Cape Emine on November 1. The crew consists of a captain and a mechanic with Ukrainian passports from Kharkov, reports the "24 Chasa" portal...

published on 11/6/25 10:12 AM

Bulgaria insists on building bridges over the Danube near Silistra and Nikopol

More bridges over the Danube are not just a bilateral issue between Bulgaria and Romania – they are a strategic priority for the prosperity of the entire EU and for our collective security within NATO. This was emphasized by Deputy Prime Minister..

published on 11/6/25 8:46 AM

Bulgaria and North Macedonia sign an agreement on building a railway tunnel between the two countries

Today, the deputy PMs and ministers of transport of Bulgaria and North Macedonia Grozdan Karadjov and Aleksandar Nikoloski will sign an agreement on the preparation, construction and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel between the two..

published on 11/6/25 7:15 AM

WEATHER

Pick city: Sofía

Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 11

BULGARIA IN PICTURES

Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?

EC puts forward plan for developing high-speed rail Bucharest-Sofia-Athens

The European Commission has presented a proposal for developing high-speed railway lines within the EU until 2040, linking the capitals in the EU, among..

published on 11/5/25 1:20 PM

European Commission withholds payment under recovery and resilience plan over failure to implement anti-corruption reforms

The European Commission has decided to withhold EUR 215 million from the second payment under Bulgaria’s recovery and resilience plan, the EC told the..

published on 11/5/25 4:39 PM

Chirpan Tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas railway line to be ready by the end of 2026

Prokopan is the only railway tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas line. This became clear during a visit by Deputy Minister of Transport Lyuben Nanov, who was..

published on 11/4/25 6:34 PM

Share

Related