Bulgaria, with the help of the Russian Empire, achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. In the decades before independence, Bulgaria's population had remained between 2.2 and 2.8 million people, and growth was much slower then the following century. Although most at the time assumed that it would become a Russian ally, Bulgaria defied the expectations and aligned itself with the western powers, and developed into a modern European state by the turn in the late 1800s. Bulgaria at war In the early twentieth century Bulgaria was involved in both World Wars, as well as two Balkan Wars. The Balkan states were unhappy with the borders assigned to them by the western powers, and instead wanted to re-draw them based on the dispersal of ethnic groups. This led to the first Balkan War in 1912, which saw Bulgaria fight alongside Greece and Serbia against the Ottomans. Bulgaria fought the second Balkan War on all sides, this time against Greece, Serbia, Romania and the Ottomans, as the dispute over borders continued. Bulgaria was defeated this time, and sustained heavy casualties, amassing in 58 thousand fatalities and over 100 thousand wounded in the two wars.

In the First World War, Bulgaria remained neutral at first, in order to recover from the previous wars, but then aligned itself with the Central powers in 1915, and played a vital role in maintaining their control in the Balkans. While Bulgaria was initially successful, its allies weakened as the war progressed, and then Bulgaria eventually succumbed to Allied forces and surrendered in 1918, with almost 200 thousand Bulgarians dying as a result of the war. The interwar years was a period of political and economic turmoil, and when control was re-established, Bulgaria was then able to maintain it's neutrality throughout most of the Second World War, (although there was some conflict and bombings in certain areas). Rise and fall of communism After the war, Bulgaria became a communist state, and life became harsh for the civil population there until the late 1950s when the standard of living rose again. In the late 1980s, like many Eastern European countries, Bulgaria experienced economic decline as the communist system began to collapse. Political failures also contributed to this, and approximately 300 thousand Bulgarian Turks migrated to Turkey, greatly weakening the agricultural economy. This trend of mass migration abroad continued after the fall of the iron curtain, as well as the rise of unemployment. Bulgaria reached it's peak population size in 1985 at 8.98 million inhabitants, but then the number decreases each year, and is expected to be 6.94 million in 2020. This drop in population size has been attributed to the economic collapse at the end of communism in Eastern Europe, causing many to leave the country in search of work elsewhere. Bulgaria also has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, with 8.7 births per 1,000 people per year (in 2018).

In 2024, the total population of Bulgaria was estimated at 6.38 million people. Between 1980 and 2024, the figure dropped by 2.43 million people, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. The forecast shows the total population will steadily decline by 340,000 people from 2024 to 2030.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

The total population in Bulgaria was estimated at 6.4 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Bulgaria Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Bulgaria (POPTOTBGA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Bulgaria and population.

Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Rural data was reported at -12.300 ‰ in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of -16.400 ‰ for 2022. Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging -1.450 ‰ from Dec 1930 (Median) to 2023, with 94 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.100 ‰ in 1934 and a record low of -20.200 ‰ in 2021. Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistical Institute. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bulgaria – Table BG.G001: Population.

Population growth (annual %) in Bulgaria was reported at --0.0346 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bulgaria - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

In 2023, the annual population growth in Bulgaria amounted to -3.01 percent. Between 1961 and 2023, the figure dropped by 3.97 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Historical dataset showing Bulgaria population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Historical dataset showing total population for Bulgaria by year from 1950 to 2025.

Bulgaria gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, and for the next century the population grew at a relatively constant rate, before falling into decline from the 1980s until today. The ratio of men to women in Bulgaria has remained fairly level before the 1980s, with the difference never exceeding 100,000. It was only in the 1980s when the numbers began to drift further apart, with the male population decreasing at a higher rate than females. A difference of more than 100,000 people appeared in 1988, and 200,000 at the turn of the millennium. The difference in Bulgaria's male and female populations has remained around 200,000 people for the past two decades, as the overall population has fallen from around eight million to below seven million people. This drop in population size has been attributed to the economic collapse which followed the end of communism in Eastern Europe, causing many to leave the country in search of work elsewhere. Bulgaria also has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, with just 9 births per 1,000 people in 2020.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Bulgaria (SPPOPGROWBGR) from 1961 to 2023 about Bulgaria, population, and rate.

Historical dataset showing Bulgaria population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Urban data was reported at -4.800 ‰ in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of -7.200 ‰ for 2022. Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 6.050 ‰ from Dec 1930 (Median) to 2023, with 94 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.500 ‰ in 1950 and a record low of -10.500 ‰ in 2021. Bulgaria Natural Increase: per 1000 Population: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistical Institute. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bulgaria – Table BG.G001: Population.

Population, female (% of total population) in Bulgaria was reported at 51.61 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bulgaria - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Population, male in Bulgaria was reported at 3118451 Persons in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bulgaria - Population, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Bulgaria was reported at 59.55 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bulgaria - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 0 to 14 for Bulgaria (SPPOP0014TOZSBGR) from 1960 to 2024 about 0 to 14 years, Bulgaria, and population.

Abstract

The Bulgaria Population, Housing and Agricultural Holding Census 2001 is the 17th Population and Housing Census in the demographic history of Bulgaria was conducted from 1st until 28th February 2011. For the first time Bulgaria has conducted a census as a Member state of the European Union, complying the requirements of the Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of Council on population and housing censuses, as well as the related European regulations on technical format and data quality.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Individuals;
• Households.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The Regional Statistical Offices, within 50 days only, have entered nearly 4,200,000 questionnaires on population, 2,774,373 questionnaires on dwellings and 2,105,000 questionnaires on buildings. Each day on average 84,000 questionnaires on population, 55,490 questionnaires on dwellings and 42 100 questionnaires on building are entered.

Cleaning operations

Data entered from paper questionnaires is combined with the electronic data, followed by procedures for control of the quality and data coverage. The control included the removal of double enumerated persons, incorrect reference of a particular category or settlements, incorrect unique civil numbers, data entry mistakes, etc.

In compliance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on population and housing censuses, as regards the modalities and structure of the quality report and the technical format for data transmission, the information from administrative sources is used. The estimates of the population not covered by the census are done in compliance with the statistical methodology and concern the definition of the population categories used during the census. As regards the coverage, the results are analyzed in comparison with other statistical sources - Information System “Demography”, data from administrative sources on students and pupils, insured persons, beneficiaries of pensions and others.

In parallel, a procedure for clarification and correction of incorrect unique civil numbers and finding missing unique civil numbers using the Information System “Demography” and other administrative sources is elaborated. These procedures are done at the NSI and the corrections are made for each separate case.

Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) in Bulgaria was reported at 4.861 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Bulgaria - Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Bulgaria Population: Urban: 50 to 54 Years data was reported at 362,020.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 360,986.000 Person for 2022. Bulgaria Population: Urban: 50 to 54 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 378,462.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 438,344.000 Person in 2000 and a record low of 341,613.000 Person in 2017. Bulgaria Population: Urban: 50 to 54 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistical Institute. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bulgaria – Table BG.G002: Population: by Age Group and Sex.