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

Bulgaria's population has declined by 11.5% in the past decade

Photo: Pixabay

The population of Bulgaria was 6, 519,789 as of September 7, 2021. There are 3, 383, 527 women (51.9% of the population) and 3,136,262 men (48.1% of the population). There are 927 men per 1,000 women, the National Statistical Institute said.

Bulgaria's population has decreased by 11.5% or by 844,781 people in the past ten years. The depopulation is due to higher mortality and external migration. 23.5% of the population is aged 65 and above. More than 4 million people, 62.4% of the population, are aged 15 to 64.

There are 5,257 towns and villages. 4,782,064 people, or 73.3% of the population, live in 257 towns. 1,737,725 people, or 26.7% of the population live in 5,000 villages. There are six towns with a population above 100,000 persons- Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse and Stara Zagora. 34.5% of the country’s population lives in 6 towns.




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

Cold morning, sunshine expected during the day

Wednesday's minimum temperatures will be 1–6°C , with Sofia at 1°C. Some lowland areas may have reduced visibility in the morning. It will be mostly sunny during the day, with a light to moderate south-westerly wind. Maximum temperatures will reach..

published on 10/28/25 7:05 PM

Switzerland supports Bulgaria's migration policies with over 21 million Swiss Francs

Switzerland is providing financial assistance worth 21,350,000 Swiss Francs to support Bulgaria's migration policies. "As EU's external border we have the responsibility to prevent the entry of persons who may pose a security threat, and on the other..

published on 10/28/25 6:50 PM

Draft Budget Signals Lower Minimum Wage but Higher Pension Contributions

Bulgaria’s draft social security budget indicates that the minimum wage from 1 January 2026 will be lower than the level set out in the Labour Code , BNR “Horizont” reports. According to sources, the minimum wage will be €605 rather than €620 (BGN..

published on 10/28/25 4:48 PM