Bulgaria’s population is declining

Bulgaria’s population is declining and now stands at 6,423,207 people, according to the National Statistical Institute. Compared to 2024, this is a decrease of 14,153 people.

According to the data, men number just over 3 million, or 48.1%, while women are 3,334,962, accounting for 51.9% of the population. Children under 15 years old are fewer than 900,000, or 13.9% of the population.

People aged over 65 number 1,557,851, or 24.3%. The average age of the population is 44.6 years in cities and 47.7 years in villages.

For the second consecutive year, Stara Zagora is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria, slightly ahead of Ruse.

The six Bulgarian cities with over 100,000 residents are Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, and Ruse. These cities are home to 35.8% of the country’s population.

In 2025, 44,640 people arrived in Bulgaria from abroad. Of them, 45.9% are citizens of non-EU countries, 38.9% have Bulgarian citizenship, and 15.2% are citizens of EU member states.