Bulgaria Population
Bulgaria had an estimated population of 6,433,302 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 111st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.08% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.13% a year.
Bulgaria at a glance
How Bulgaria's population is changing
Bulgaria's population is roughly stable: −0.13% a year, which works out to about −8,114 people per year, or −22 a day. Births (8.3 per 1,000) and deaths (15.6 per 1,000) alone would give −0.73% a year; net migration removes about 2,961 people a year (−0.05%). Roughly one in every 1,277 people on Earth lives in Bulgaria.
Population of Bulgaria since 1960
In 1960, Bulgaria had 7,867,374 people. By 2025 that was 6,433,302 — 18% smaller. The population peaked in 1988 at 8,981,446 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 8%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,867,374 | — |
| 1970 | 8,489,574 | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 8,861,535 | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 8,718,289 | −1.6% |
| 2000 | 8,170,172 | −6.3% |
| 2010 | 7,395,599 | −9.5% |
| 2020 | 6,550,696 | −11.4% |
| 2025 | 6,433,302 | −1.8% |
Bulgaria from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Bulgaria at about 2,250,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 6,714,556 in 2025 (3× 1800) and projects 3,531,199 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1988 at 8,985,721 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,250,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,495,877 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 3,956,269 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 7,248,509 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 8,000,519 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 6,714,556 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 5,402,218 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 4,257,604 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 3,531,199 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Bulgaria
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 6,433,302. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia | 1,067,136 | UN urban centre | 16.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Plovdiv | 329,838 | UN urban centre | 5.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Varna | 290,572 | UN urban centre | 4.52% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Burgas | 103,946 | UN urban centre | 1.62% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Ruse | 89,462 | UN urban centre | 1.39% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Stara Zagora | 83,631 | UN urban centre | 1.30% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Pernik | 82,467 | GeoNames settlement | 1.28% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Shumen | 72,342 | GeoNames settlement | 1.12% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Dobrich | 69,434 | GeoNames settlement | 1.08% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Blagoevgrad | 67,810 | GeoNames settlement | 1.05% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Bulgaria compares
Bulgaria has almost the same population as Republic of the Congo (6,484,437).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Bulgaria | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #109 |  Serbia | 6,549,143 | +2% | compare → |
| #110 |  Republic of the Congo | 6,484,437 | +1% | compare → |
| #112 |  El Salvador | 6,365,503 | −1% | compare → |
| #113 |  Singapore | 6,111,175 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Bulgaria with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Bulgaria
Land neighbours (5)
Türkiye 85,878,556 · 13.3× the population · compare
Romania 19,020,271 · 3.0× the population · compare
Greece 10,413,962 · 1.6× the population · compare- Serbia 6,549,143 · about the same population · compare
North Macedonia 1,820,909 · 3.5× smaller · compare
Bulgaria's 5 neighbours together hold 123,682,841 people — 19.2× Bulgaria's population. The most populous is Türkiye (85,878,556).
In its region
Bulgaria is the 28th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.7% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Bulgaria
Cities
Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Pernik, Shumen — all Bulgaria's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Bulgaria when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.