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

Sunny until noon, clouds and some rain in the afternoon

At night, precipitation will stop and the cloudiness will break and decrease. In the morning hours, short-term fog will form in the plains and around water basins. On Saturday before noon it will be mostly sunny. In the afternoon,..

published on 6/6/25 7:05 PM
Plovdiv

The second largest Bulgarian city attracts increasing number of foreign students

3,314 foreign students are studying in Plovdiv. The largest share are foreign students studying to become doctors and dentists at the Medical University – 2,577. They are from 68 countries, with the largest number coming from UK,..

published on 6/6/25 4:15 PM
Presentation of the sociological survey in the Council for Electronic Media

Listeners expect more news and music from the Bulgarian National Radio

The news and concerts broadcast by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) are the most listened to by the audience. This is indicated by a representative study by "Alpha Research" commissioned by the Council for Electronic Media and..

published on 6/6/25 3:35 PM