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

6.4m people now live in the country, statistics show

NSI: Bulgaria's population continues to shrink

Nearly a quarter of all Bulgarians are over 65

Bulgaria's population was 6,437,360 at the end of 2024, down by 8,121 people (0.13%) from the previous year, according to the National Statistical Institute. All 28 regions recorded negative natural growth.


As of December 31, 2024, there were 1,544,245 people over the age of 65, or 24% of the country's population. There were 901,843 children under the age of 15, or 14%.


The ageing of the population over the years has led to an increase in the average age to 45.3 years. The average age in towns is 44.5 years and in villages 47.6 years. There are 3,765,000 people of working age, or 58.5% of the population. There are 1,970,000 men and 1,795,000 women.


Half of the population (51.7%) lives in the South West and South Central regions. The least populated region is the north-west, with 655,000 people, or 10.2% of the 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

International conference on Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region brings together scientists from Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova

The international scientific conference “Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region” will be held in Sofia on October 27 and 28, 2025 in the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof...

published on 10/25/25 5:00 AM

Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 shuts down for annual maintenance

The annual planned maintenance of Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 starts today and is expected to last until early December, the nuclear power plant has announced. During the shutdown, technical maintenance of the systems and facilities will be carried out,..

published on 10/24/25 7:45 PM

Rain by the evening, temperatures remain warm for the season

Saturday will start off with lows between 6°C and 11°C, dropping to around 6°C in Sofia. Skies will brighten for a time over northern Bulgaria before turning cloudy again later, with rain moving in by evening and overnight. Cloudy spells are also..

published on 10/24/25 7:05 PM