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

Assoc. Prof. Natalia Rashkova: Globalization is a reason for additional interest in identities

"Folklore is a need for humans and this need will not disappear just like that, " says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Natalia Rashkova - ethnologist and folklorist, university lecturer and researcher with a strong contribution to the study of..

published on 10/16/25 3:25 PM

Ethnographic forum in Sofia gathers researchers from Bulgaria and abroad

Researchers from Bulgaria and abroad are gathering in Sofia for a scientific conference. The forum will be held on October 16 and 17 in the building of the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the..

published on 10/16/25 7:55 AM

Sofia Zoo participates in snow leopard conservation program

The Sofia Zoo has a new resident – ​​an 11-year-old male snow leopard, BNT has reported. He comes from Nordens Ark Zoo, located in Bohuslän, Sweden and is named Araatan. Some time ago, a female leopard arrived from the Helsinki Zoo,..

published on 10/15/25 2:29 PM