It´s a sad fact, but true, that the Bulgarian population is actually in decline.
The 2001 census recorded there were 7,928,901 people living in Bulgaria, whereas the government estimate as at January 1st, 2010 was 7,528,100 (a drop of 5.1% in 9 years – or about 44,000 people each year). There are two main reasons for this decline:
A negative growth rate of 3.5 per 1,000 population – As at January 1st, 2010 there were 10.7 births and 14.2 deaths per 1,000 population
A net migration rate of 2.2% – i.e. 2.2 people per 1,000 leave Bulgaria each year, the most popular destinations being Germany, Spain and Italy
The following image shows the population of Bulgaria from 1887 through to 2009:
The average life expectancy of a Bulgarian citizen in 2009 was 73.43 years, males averaging 69.9 years and females 77.1 years. The birth ratio during 2009 was 1.06 males born to each female (51.5% male, 48.5% female).
The age structure of the Bulgarian population during 2009 was estimated:
0 – 14 years – 13.8%
15 – 64 years – 68.5%
65 years + – 17.7%
The 2001 census showed the following information about ethnic groups:
Bulgarian – 83.9%
Turkish – 9.4%
Romani – 4.7%
Others – 2.0%
About 71% of the Bulgarian population live in the main urban areas (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, etc); the balancing 29% occupy the rural areas of Bulgaria. The most populated cities are 1) Sofia 1.4 million, 2) Plovdiv 380,000 – 3) Varna 365,000 – 4) Burgas 229,000 and 5) Rousse 175,000
The image above shows some children celebrate the re-opening of their kindergarten with a traditional dance. This image shows a typical scene that the Bulgarian population would enjoy.
