Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

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

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!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Atanas Zafirov

BSP hopes that Bulgaria will soon have a regular government

Bulgaria needs stable governance and a solution to the problems of the people. This was the consensus among mayors from the Bulgarian Socialist Party during a meeting with the party leadership and the parliamentary group of BSP-United Left. The mayors..

published on 1/11/25 5:14 PM

Bulgaria to participate in NATO's largest exercise for 2025 called Steadfast Dart 25

NATO will deploy 10,000 soldiers, 17 ships, 20 aircraft, 1,500 combat vehicles and artillery in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece during Steadfast Dart 2025. This will be the Alliance's largest exercise for 2025 to deploy Allied Reaction Force (ARF)..

published on 1/11/25 3:34 PM
National Assembly Speaker Natalia Kiselova (M) and Marin Raykov (R)

Bulgaria honors the victims of the Bloody Christmas in 1945

Bulgaria honors the victims of the Bloody Christmas in the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1945, when thousands of Macedonian Bulgarians were killed by the regime of Yugoslav dictator Tito due to their Bulgarian self-consciousness...

published on 1/11/25 3:18 PM