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

NSI: 201 ghost villages in Bulgaria without a single inhabitant

Photo: .nsi.bg

Sofia is the largest municipality in Bulgaria by population, while Plovdiv has overtaken Varna to take second place. Burgas retains its position as the country's fourth largest city, while Stara Zagora now ranks fifth, displacing Ruse. 


These shifts in the ranking of the 20 largest municipalities by population have been recorded by the National Statistical Institute for the period from 2014 to 2023. In particular, Kardzhali has experienced remarkable growth, rising from 19th to 16th place.


As of 31 December 2023, there were 201 settlements without a single inhabitant, mainly concentrated in the central Balkan region, in the regions of Veliko Tarnovo (67), Gabrovo (67), Kyustendil (10) and Kardzhali (9). In addition, 1,453 villages, representing 27.6% of the settlements, have populations ranging from 1 to 49 persons. Notably, there are six cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, accounting for 35.2% of the total population.




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

“Rescue Clubs for the Future” successfully assist in responding to various types of disasters

According to statistics from the Executive Forest Agency, between 2010 and 2024, there were 7,115 forest fires in Bulgaria , affecting 92,694 hectares of land. Data for the current year is not yet available. Over 90% of all fires are caused by human..

published on 8/21/25 1:37 PM
Dr. Lyuba Atanasova

Lyuba Atanasova has been teaching Bulgarian to Chinese students for 13 years

“Learn with an open mind; Serve a great cause” - this is the motto that guides the Beijing Foreign Studies University in the Chinese capital. The higher education institution, founded in 1941, today teaches 101 foreign languages,..

published on 8/20/25 8:38 PM

Interest in Bulgarian universities is growing among Bulgarians from Ukraine, Moldova and North Macedonia

Young people of Bulgarian descent living abroad continue to show sustained interest in enrolling at Bulgarian universities under Decree No. 103 of the Council of Ministers, issued in 1993. The decree provides preferential conditions for our compatriots..

published on 8/19/25 11:34 AM