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

Demographic collapse continues to depopulate Bulgaria

Photo: Ani Petrova

Northwestern Bulgaria, the southeastern area of ​​Strandzha-Sakar, the western region of Kraishte and the Central Stara Planina are turning into "demographic deserts," Assoc. Prof. Nadezhda Ilieva of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has told the "Horizont" program of the Bulgarian National Radio. The study "Regional Demographic Imbalances in Bulgaria" forecasts that by 2040 the population of Bulgaria will be 5 - 5.2 million people. 1/4 of the settlements will be depopulated. 37% of the villages will have up to 20 inhabitants. 69% of the territory of Bulgaria will fall in the category of "demographic desert".

Overcrowded areas will be Sofia, the Plovdiv-Pazardzhik region and the axes of urbanisation around Burgas and Varna. "In the coming decades competition will focus on population. Those cities that managed to attract more people would survive," Ilieva said.




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

Atanas Zapryanov

The army now has the right to shoot down drones even in peacetime

The parliament has adopted amendments to the Defence Act. They expand the possibilities for declaring a state of emergency and activating the armed forces. The possibility of using weapons against drones in the protection and..

published on 10/31/25 9:37 AM

Expected economic growth for 2025 will be 3%, the country's debt is also growing

Bulgaria's economy will grow by 3 percent this year. In 2026, the growth rate will slow to 2.7 percent, the Ministry of Finance writes in its Autumn Macroeconomic Forecast. The analysis has been uploaded to the ministry's website...

published on 10/31/25 8:36 AM

The Regional Historical Museum of Burgas presents the exhibition ''The Black Sea – Unique and Unknown''

''The Black Sea – Unique and Unknown'' is the name of the exhibition that the Regional Historical Museum of Burgas will present on today’s International Black Sea Action Day. The exhibition aims to raise public awareness about the richness and..

published on 10/31/25 7:00 AM