View source for Demographics of Bulgaria

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox place demographics
| place             = [[Bulgaria]]
| image             = Bulgaria_single_age_population_pyramid_2020.png
| image_size        = 350
| caption           = Bulgaria [[population pyramid]] in 2020
|size_of_population = {{decrease}}  6,437,360 (December 31, 2024) <ref>{{cite web|title=TOTAL FERTILITY RATE BY STATISTICAL REGIONS, DISTRICTS AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE 2023|url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2023_ZYBLHGJ.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ЖИВОРОДЕНИ, МЪРТВОРОДЕНИ И УМРЕЛИ ПРЕЗ I ТРИМЕСЕЧИЕ НА 2024 ГОДИНА, ПО ОБЛАСТИ|url=https://ncpha.government.bg./uploads/statistics/current/2024/liveBirths_I_24.pdf}}</ref>
| fertility         = {{decrease}} 1.72 (2024)
| age_0-14_years    = {{decrease}} 911,025 (14.13%)
| age_15-64_years   = {{decrease}} 4,003,547 (62.12%)
| age_65_years      = {{negative increase}} 1,530,909 (23.75%)
| total_mf_ratio    = 0.84 male(s)/female (2009)
| sr_at_birth       = 1.06 male(s)/female
| sr_under_15       = 1.05 male(s)/female
| sr_15-64_years    = 0.97 male(s)/female
| sr_65_years_over  = 0.68 male(s)/female
| nation            = ''noun'': Bulgarian(s) ''adjective'': Bulgarian
| major_ethnic      = [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] (85.7%)
| minor_ethnic      = [[Turkish people|Turkish]] (8.5%)<br />[[Romani People|Romani]] (4.5%)<br />Others (1.3%)
| minorities        = 
| official          = [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] (86.2%)
}}

The '''demography of the Republic of Bulgaria''' is monitored by the [[National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria]]. [[Demographics|Demographic]] features of the population of [[Bulgaria]] include population density, [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], education level, health of the populace, economic status, [[Religion in Bulgaria|religious affiliations]] and others.

The population of Bulgaria was around 6.4 million in 2024.

In 2023, Bulgaria had a [[Human Development Index]] of 0.845, which corresponds to "very high human development", ranking 55th in the world together with neighbouring Romania,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 - A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI |date=6 May 2025 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |isbn= |publication-date=6 May 2025 |pages= |access-date=6 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506064128/https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 |archive-date=6 May 2025}}</ref> was designated as a "[[World Bank high-income economy|High-income economy]]" by the World Bank, with a [[List of countries by GNI (nominal) per capita|GNI per capita]] of $15,320, as of 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Bank country classifications by income level for FY26 |url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/understanding-country-income--world-bank-group-income-classifica |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=World Bank Blogs |language=en}}</ref> and was awarded the 38th position in ''[[Newsweek]]''{{'}}s rankings of the world's best countries to live in, measuring health, education, political environment and [[economic dynamism]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html |title=Interactive Infographic of the World's Best Countries |publisher=Newsweek.com |date=15 August 2010 |access-date=24 July 2011 |archive-date=28 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728092003/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Demographic history==
{{Historical populations
|footnote =Source: [[Demographic history of Bulgaria]]
|title       = Census population and average annual growth rate
|percentages = pagr
|1880 | 2007919
|1887 | 3154375
|1892 | 3310713
|1900 | 3744283
|1905 | 4035575
|1910 | 4337513
|1920 | 4846971
|1926 | 5478741
|1934 | 6077939
|1946 | 7029349
|1956 | 7613709
|1965 | 8227866
|1975 | 8727771
|1985 | 8948649
|1992 | 8487317
|2001 | 7928901
|2011 | 7364570
|2021 | 6519789
}}
Various estimates have put Bulgaria's medieval population at 1.1 million in 700 AD and 2.6 million in 1365.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The population of Bulgaria during the Middle Ages (seventh to fourteenth centuries)|date=2014-01-24 |pmid=12280532 |volume=4 |issue= 2|pages=3–11 |journal=Naselenie | last1 = Arkadiev | first1 = D}}</ref> At the 2011 census, the population inhabiting Bulgaria was 7,364,570 in total, but the 2021 Census calculated that the population had declined to 6.5 million.<ref name="Census2011final">{{cite web|url=https://www.nsi.bg/census2011/PDOCS2/Census2011final_en.pdf|title=Census 2011|website=Nsi.bg|access-date=2017-08-24}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date= |title=НАСЕЛЕНИЕ КЪМ 7 СЕПТЕМВРИ 2021 ГОДИНА |url=https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_population.pdf |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=nsi.bg}}</ref> The peak was in 1989, the year when the borders opened after a half of a century of communist regime, when the population numbered 9,009,018.
[[File:Historical population of Bulgaria.svg|thumb|upright=3|left|Historical population of Bulgaria, 1812 to 2023]]
{{stack|float=right|}}
{{#chart:Bulgaria Total Population.chart}}
{{#chart:Bulgaria Population Change.chart}}
Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is an extrapolation <ref>Note: Crude migration change % is a trend analysis, an extrapolation, based  on calculation of the average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year (see table vital statistics). As average population is an estimate of the population in the middle of the year and not end of the year, crude migration is thus an extrapolation.</ref>
{{#chart:Bulgaria TFR.chart}}

==Vital statistics==

===Vital Statistics 1875 to 1899===
The [[total fertility rate]] is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: [[Our World in Data]] and [[Gapminder Foundation]].<ref name="ourworldindata.org">{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1850&country=BGR|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable " style="text-align:right"
|-
! Years !! 1875!!1876!!1877!!1878!!1879!!1880<ref name="ourworldindata.org"/>
|-
| align="left"|Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.16|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.05 ||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.95||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.84||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.73||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.62
|}
{| class="wikitable " style="text-align:right"
|-
! Years !! 1881!!1882!!1883!!1884!!1885!!1886!!1887!!1888!!1889!!1890<ref name="ourworldindata.org"/>
|-
| align="left"|Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.52|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.92 ||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.16||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.16||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.04||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.37||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.15||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.05||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.92||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.7
|}
{| class="wikitable " style="text-align:right"
|-
! Years !! 1891!!1892!!1893!!1894!!1895!!1896!!1897!!1898!!1899
|-
| align="left"|Total Fertility Rate in Bulgaria||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.24|| style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.82 ||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|4.69||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.09||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.45||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.55||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.7||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.28||style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|5.45
|}

=== Vital statistics 1900 to present ===
<ref name="ourworldindata.org" /><ref>B.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Demographic Yearbook 1948|publisher=Statistical Office of the United Nations|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybsets/1948%20DYB.pdf|access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsi.bg/otrasalen.php?otr=53 |title=National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria |access-date=10 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731172424/http://www.nsi.bg/otrasalen.php?otr=53 |archive-date=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home &#124; National statistical institute |url=https://www.nsi.bg/en |website=www.nsi.bg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Center of Public Health and Analyses |url=https://ncpha.government.bg/en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429202908/https://ncpha.government.bg/en/ |archive-date=29 April 2021 |access-date=18 April 2021}}</ref><ref>[https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=1089 infostat.nsi.bg, visited 18 december 2023]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2015 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2015_en_CV8W6X5.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2016 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2016_en_722R06L.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2017 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2017_en_R5PBSJP.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2018 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2018_en_ZG7X53J.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2019 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2019_en_XE8MEZL.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2020 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2020_en_IVGTQG5.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2021 |url=https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2021_en_6IY8TD4.pdf |access-date=29 April 2022 |publisher=National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population and demographic processes in 2022 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2022_en_3C3NKZD.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=TOTAL FERTILITY RATE BY STATISTICAL REGIONS, DISTRICTS AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE 2023 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2023_ZYBLHGJ.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=TOTAL FERTILITY RATE BY STATISTICAL REGIONS, DISTRICTS AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE 2024 |url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2024_en_F59F6N4.pdf}}</ref>

Notable events in Bulgarian demography:

* 1913 – [[Second Balkan War]]
* 1916-1918 – [[World War I|First World War]]
* 1989-1990 – [[People's Republic of Bulgaria#End of the People's Republic|End of the People's Republic]] and [[1989 expulsion of Turks from Bulgaria]]

{{sticky-header}}{{sort under}}{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under sticky-header-multi" style="text-align:right;"
|-
!
! style="width:80pt;"|Average population
! style="width:80pt;"|Live births
! style="width:80pt;"|Deaths
! style="width:80pt;"|Natural change
! style="width:80pt;"|Crude birth rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;"|Crude death rate (per 1000)
! style="width:80pt;"|Natural change (per 1000)
!Crude migration rate (per 1000)
!Total fertility rates{{refn|group=fn|In fertility rates, 2.1 and above is a stable population and has been marked blue, 2 and below leads to an aging population and the result is that the population decreases.}}
|-
| 1900
| style="text-align:right;" style="color:red;"| 3,710,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 157,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 84,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 73,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 42.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 22.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 19.7
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.67
|-
| 1901
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,740,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 141,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 87,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 54,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 37.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 23.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 14.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.70
|-
| 1902
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,800,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 149,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 91,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 58,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 39.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 23.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 15.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.73
|-
| 1903
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,850,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 159,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 88,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 71,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 41.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 22.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 18.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.76
|-
| 1904
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,910,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 167,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 84,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 83,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 42.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.2
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.80
|-
| 1905
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,000,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 174,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 87,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 87,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 43.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.8
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.83
|-
| 1906
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,100,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 179,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 91,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 88,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 43.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 22.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.5
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.77
|-
| 1907
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,150,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 180,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 92,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 88,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 43.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 22.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.2
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.72
|-
| 1908
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,200,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 169,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 102,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 67,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 40.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 24.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 16.0
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.66
|-
| 1909
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,280,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 173,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 113,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 60,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 40.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 26.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 14.0
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.6
|-
| 1910
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,350,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 180,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 100,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 80,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 41.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 23.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 18.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.55
|-
| 1911
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,400,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 176,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 94,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 82,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 40.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 18.6
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.52
|-
| 1912
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,430,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 185,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 91,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 94,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 41.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 20.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 21.2
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.48
|-
| 1913
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,200,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 108,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 122,000
|  style="text-align:right; color:red;"|  -14,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 25.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 29.0
|  style="text-align:right; color:red;"| -3.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.45
|-
| 1914
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,240,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 191,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 88,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 103,000
| style="color: blue" | 45.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 20.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 24.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.42
|-
| 1915
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,280,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 172,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 85,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 87,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 40.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 19.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 20.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.39
|-
|1916
|4,660,000
|99,000
|97,000
|2,000
|21.2
|20.8
|0.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.38
|-
|1917
|4,690,000
|81,000
|99,000
| style="color:red;" | -18,000
|17.3
|21.1
| style="color:red;" | -3.8
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.37
|-
|1918
|4,740,000
|100,000
| style="color:red;" | 152,000
| style="color:red;" | -52,000
|21.1
|32.1
| style="color:red;" | -11.0
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.36
|-
|1919
|4,790,000
|157,000
|97,000
|60,000
|32.8
|20.3
|12.5
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.35
|-
|1920
|4,850,000
|193,000
|104,000
|89,000
|39.8
|21.4
|18.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.35
|-
|1921
|4,890,000
|197,000
|106,000
|91,000
|40.3
|21.7
|18.6
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.27
|-
|1922
|5,010,000
|203,000
|106,000
|97,000
|40.5
|21.2
|19.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.19
|-
|1923
|5,090,000
|192,000
|108,000
|84,000
|37.7
|21.2
|16.5
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.11
|-
|1924
|5,210,000
| style="color:blue;" | 207,000
|108,000
|99,000
|39.7
|20.7
|19.0
|
| style="color:blue;" | 5.03
|-
|1925
|5,310,000
|196,000
|102,000
|94,000
|36.9
|19.2
|17.7
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.94
|-
|1926
|5,420,000
|203,000
|93,000
|110,000
|37.5
|17.2
|20.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.80
|-
|1927
|5,510,000
|183,000
|112,000
|71,000
|33.2
|20.3
|12.9
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.65
|-
|1928
|5,590,000
|185,000
|99,000
|86,000
|33.1
|17.7
|15.4
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.50
|-
|1929
|5,670,000
|173,000
|103,000
|70,000
|30.5
|18.2
|12.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.36
|-
|1930
|5,740,000
|180,000
|93,000
|87,000
|31.4
|16.2
|15.2
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.05
|-
|1931
|5,800,000
|171,000
|98,000
|73,000
|29.5
|16.9
|12.6
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.80
|-
|1932
|5,884,000
|186,000
|96,000
|90,000
|31.6
|16.3
|15.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 4.07
|-
|1933
|5,961,000
|174,000
|93,000
|81,000
|29.2
|15.6
|13.6
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.76
|-
|1934
|6,039,000
|181,795
|85,046
|96,749
|30.1
|14.1
|16.0
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.88
|-
|1935
|6,102,000
|160,951
|89,086
|71,865
|26.4
|14.6
|11.8
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.39
|-
|1936
|6,154,000
|159,146
|87,723
|71,423
|25.9
|14.3
|11.6
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.33
|-
|1937
|6,196,000
|150,771
|84,674
|66,097
|24.3
|13.7
|10.7
|
| style="color:blue;" | 3.12
|-
|1938
|6,244,000
|142,415
|85,373
|57,042
|22.8
|13.7
|9.1
|
| style="color:blue;" | 2.92
|-
|1939
|6,292,000
|138,883
|84,150
|54,733
|22.1
|13.4
|8.7
|
| style="color:blue;" | 2.81
|-
|1940
|6,341,000
|140,564
|85,046
|55,518
|22.2
|13.4
|8.8
|
| style="color:blue;" | 2.84
|-
|1941
|6,715,100
|147,293
|85,011
|62,282
|21.9
|12.7
|9.3
|
| style="color:blue;" | 2.80
|-
|1942
|6,771,100
|153,272
|88,082
|65,190
|22.6
|13.0
|9.6
| -1,4
| style="color:blue;" | 2.91
|-
|1943
|6,827,600
|148,840
|88,386
|60,454
|21.8
|13.0
|8.9
| -0.6
| style="color:blue;" | 2.79
|-
|1944
|6,884,600
|151,013
|94,082
|56,931
|22.0
|13.7
|8.3
|0
| style="color:blue;" | 2.83
|-
|1945
|6,942,200
|166,960
|103,591
|63,369
|24.1
|14.9
|9.1
| -0.8
| style="color:blue;" | 3.09
|-
|1946
|7,000,200
|179,226
|95,799
|83,427
|25.6
|13.7
|11.9
| -3.7
| style="color:blue;" | 3.29
|-
|1947
|7,063,700
|169,501
|94,395
|75,106
|24.0
|13.4
|10.7
| -1.7
| style="color:blue;" | 3.06
|-
|1948
|7,130,100
|175,771
|89,927
|85,844
|24.7
|12.6
|12.0
| -2.8
| style="color:blue;" | 3.16
|-
|1949
|7,195,100
|177,734
|84,675
|93,059
|24.7
|11.8
|12.9
| -3.9
| style="color:blue;" | 3.17
|-
|1950
|7,251,000
|182,571
|74,134
|108,437
|25.2
|10.2
|15.0
| -7.3
| style="color:blue;" | 2.94
|-
|1951
|7,258,200
|152,803
|77,364
|75,439
|21.1
|10.7
|10.4
| -9.4
| style="color:blue;" | 2.45
|-
|1952
|7,274,900
|154,014
|84,254
|69,760
|21.2
|11.6
|9.6
| -7.3
| style="color:blue;" | 2.44
|-
|1953
|7,346,100
|153,220
|68,055
|85,165
|20.9
|9.3
|11.6
| -1.9
| style="color:blue;" | 2.41
|-
|1954
|7,423,300
|149,902
|68,384
|81,518
|20.2
|9.2
|11.0
| -0.6
| style="color:blue;" | 2.36
|-
|1955
|7,499,400
|150,978
|67,960
|83,018
|20.1
|9.1
|11.1
| -0.9
| style="color:blue;" | 2.41
|-
|1956
|7,575,800
|147,910
|71,153
|76,757
|19.5
|9.4
|10.1
|0
| style="color:blue;" | 2.36
|-
|1957
|7,651,300
|141,035
|65,807
|75,228
|18.4
|8.6
|9.8
|0
| style="color:blue;" | 2.26
|-
|1958
|7,727,600
|138,294
| style="color:blue;" | 60,734
|77,560
|17.9
|7.9
|10.0
| -0,2
| style="color:blue;" | 2.23
|-
|1959
|7,797,800
|136,892
|73,850
|63,042
|17.5
|9.4
|8.1
|0.9
| style="color:blue;" | 2.23
|-
|1960
|7,867,374
|140,082
|63,665
|76,417
|17.8
|8.1
|9.7
| -0.9
| style="color:blue;" | 2.31
|-
|1961
|7,943,118
|137,861
|62,562
|75,299
|17.4
|7.9
|9.5
|0.1
| style="color:blue;" | 2.29
|-
|1962
|8,012,946
|134,148
|69,640
|64,508
|16.7
|8.7
|8.1
|0.7
| style="color:blue;" | 2.24
|-
|1963
|8,078,145
|132,143
|66,057
|66,086
|16.4
|8.2
|8.2
| -0.1
| style="color:blue;" | 2.21
|-
|1964
|8,144,340
|130,958
|64,479
|66,479
|16.1
|7.9
|8.2
|0
| style="color:blue;" | 2.19
|-
|1965
|8,204,168
|125,791
|66,970
|58,821
|15.3
|8.2
|7.2
|0.1
|2.09
|-
|1966
|8,258,057
|123,039
|68,366
|54,673
|14.9
|8.3
|6.6
| -0.1
|2.03
|-
|1967
|8,310,226
|124,582
|74,696
|49,886
|15.0
|9.0
|6.0
|0.3
|2.02
|-
|1968
|8,369,603
|141,460
|72,176
|69,284
|16.9
|8.6
|8.3
| -1.2
| style="color:blue;" | 2.27
|-
|1969
|8,434,172
|143,060
|80,183
|62,877
|17.0
|9.5
|7.5
|0.2
| style="color:blue;" | 2.27
|-
|1970
|8,489,574
|138,745
|77,095
|61,650
|16.3
|9.1
|7.3
| -0.7
| style="color:blue;" | 2.17
|-
|1971
|8,536,395
|135,422
|82,805
|52,617
|15.9
|9.7
|6.2
| -0.7
| style="color:blue;" | 2.10
|-
|1972
|8,576,200
|131,316
|84,174
|47,142
|15.3
|9.8
|5.5
| -0.9
|2.03
|-
|1973
|8,620,967
|139,713
|81,470
|58,243
|16.2
|9.5
|6.8
| -1.6
| style="color:blue;" | 2.15
|-
|1974
|8,678,745
|149,196
|85,239
|63,957
|17.2
|9.8
|7.4
| -0.7
| style="color:blue;" | 2.29
|-
|1975
|8,720,742
|144,668
|89,974
|54,694
|16.6
|10.3
|6.3
| -1.5
| style="color:blue;" | 2.23
|-
|1976
|8,758,599
|144,929
|88,348
|56,581
|16.5
|10.1
|6.5
| -2.1
| style="color:blue;" | 2.24
|-
|1977
|8,804,183
|141,702
|94,362
|47,340
|16.1
|10.7
|5.4
| -0.2
| style="color:blue;" | 2.21
|-
|1978
|8,814,032
|136,442
|92,445
|43,997
|15.5
|10.5
|5.0
| -3.9
| style="color:blue;" | 2.15
|-
|1979
|8,825,940
|135,358
|94,403
|40,955
|15.3
|10.7
|4.6
| -3.3
| style="color:blue;" | 2.16
|-
|1980
|8,861,535
|128,190
|97,950
|30,240
|14.5
|11.1
|3.4
|0.6
|2.05
|-
|1981
|8,891,117
|124,372
|95,441
|28,931
|14.0
|10.7
|3.3
|0.1
|2.00
|-
|1982
|8,917,457
|124,166
|100,293
|23,873
|13.9
|11.2
|2.7
|0.3
|2.01
|-
|1983
|8,939,738
|122,993
|102,182
|20,811
|13.8
|11.4
|2.3
|0.2
|2.01
|-
|1984
|8,960,679
|122,303
|101,419
|20,884
|13.6
|11.3
|2.3
|0
|2.01
|-
|1985
|8,960,547
|118,955
|107,485
|11,470
|13.3
|12.0
|1.3
| -1.3
|1.97
|-
|1986
|8,958,171
|120,078
|104,039
|16,039
|13.4
|11.6
|1.8
| -2.1
|2.02
|-
|1987
|8,971,359
|116,672
|107,213
|9,459
|13.0
|12.0
|1.1
|0.4
|1.96
|-
|1988
| style="color:blue;" | 8,981,446
|117,440
|107,385
|10,055
|13.1
|12.0
|1.1
|0
|1.97
|-
|1989
|8,876,972
|112,289
|106,902
|5,387
|12.6
|12.0
|0.6
| -12.2
|1.90
|-
|1990
|8,718,289
|105,180
|108,608
| style="color:red;" | -3,428
|12.1
|12.5
| style="color:red;" | -0.4
| -17.5
|1.82
|-
|1991
|8,632,367
|95,910
|110,423
| style="color:red;" | -14,513
|11.1
|12.8
| style="color:red;" | -1.7
| -8.2
|1.66
|-
|1992
|8,540,164
|89,134
|107,998
| style="color:red;" | -18,864
|10.4
|12.6
| style="color:red;" | -2.2
| -8.5
|1.55
|-
|1993
|8,472,313
|84,400
|109,540
| style="color:red;" | -25,140
|10.0
|12.9
| style="color:red;" | -3.0
| -7.7
|1.46
|-
|1994
|8,443,591
|79,442
|111,827
| style="color:red;" | -32,385
|9.4
|13.2
| style="color:red;" | -3.8
|0.4
|1.37
|-
|1995
|8,406,067
|71,967
|114,670
| style="color:red;" | -42,703
|8.6
|13.6
| style="color:red;" | -5.1
|0.6
|1.23
|-
|1996
|8,362,826
|72,188
|117,056
| style="color:red;" | -44,868
|8.6
|14.0
| style="color:red;" | -5.4
|0.2
|1.23
|-
|1997
|8,312,068
|64,125
|121,861
| style="color:red;" | -57,736
|7.7
|14.7
| style="color:red;" | -6.9
|0.8
| style="color:red;" | 1.09
|-
|1998
|8,256,786
|65,361
|118,190
| style="color:red;" | -52,829
|7.9
|14.3
| style="color:red;" | -6.4
| -0.3
|1.11
|-
|1999
|8,210,624
|72,290
|111,786
| style="color:red;" | -39,496
|8.8
|13.6
| style="color:red;" | -4.8
| -0.8
|1.23
|-
|2000
|8,170,172
|73,679
|115,087
| style="color:red;" | -41,408
|9.0
|14.1
| style="color:red;" | -5.1
|0.1
|1.26
|-
|2001
|8,009,142
|68,180
|112,368
| style="color:red;" | -44,188
|8.5
|14.0
| style="color:red;" | -5.5
| -26.0
|1.21
|-
|2002
|7,837,161
|66,499
|112,617
| style="color:red;" | -46,118
|8.5
|14.4
| style="color:red;" | -5.9
| -2.7
|1.23
|-
|2003
|7,775,327
|67,359
|111,927
| style="color:red;" | -44,568
|8.7
|14.4
| style="color:red;" | -5.7
|0
|1.26
|-
|2004
|7,716,860
|69,886
|110,110
| style="color:red;" | -40,224
|9.1
|14.3
| style="color:red;" | -5.2
|0
|1.33
|-
|2005
|7,658,972
|71,075
|113,374
| style="color:red;" | -42,299
|9.3
|14.8
| style="color:red;" | -5.5
|0
|1.37
|-
|2006
|7,601,022
|73,978
|113,438
| style="color:red;" | -39,460
|9.7
|14.9
| style="color:red;" | -5.2
|0
|1.44
|-
|2007
|7,545,338
|75,349
|113,004
| style="color:red;" | -37,655
|10.0
|15.0
| style="color:red;" | -5.0
| -0.2
|1.49
|-
|2008
|7,492,561
|77,712
|110,523
| style="color:red;" | -32,811
|10.4
|14.8
| style="color:red;" | -4.4
| -0.1
|1.56
|-
|2009
|7,444,443
|80,956
|108,068
| style="color:red;" | -27,112
|10.9
|14.5
| style="color:red;" | -3.6
| -2.1
|1.66
|-
|2010
|7,395,599
|75,513
|110,165
| style="color:red;" | -34,652
|10.2
|14.9
| style="color:red;" | -4.7
| -3.2
|1.57
|-
|2011
|7,348,328
|70,846
|108,258
| style="color:red;" | -37,412
|9.6
|14.7
| style="color:red;" | -5.1
| -18.7
|1.51
|-
|2012
|7,305,888
|69,121
|109,281
| style="color:red;" | -40,160
|9.5
|15.0
| style="color:red;" | -5.5
| -0.3
|1.50
|-
|2013
|7,160,005
|66,578
|104,345
| style="color:red;" | -37,767
|9.3
|14.6
| style="color:red;" | -5.3
| -0.2
|1.54
|-
|2014
|7,073,572
|67,585
|108,952
| style="color:red;" | -41,367
|9.6
|15.4
| style="color:red;" | -5.8
| -0.3
|1.62
|-
|2015
|6,984,225
|65,950
|110,117
| style="color:red;" | -44,167
|9.4
|15.8
| style="color:red;" | -6.3
| -0.6
|1.64
|-
|2016
|6,894,139
|64,984
|107,580
| style="color:red;" | -42,596
|9.4
|15.6
| style="color:red;" | -6.2
| -1.3
|1.67
|-
|2017
|6,803,468
|63,955
|109,791
| style="color:red;" | -45,836
|9.4
|16.1
| style="color:red;" | -6.7
| -0.8
|1.71
|-
|2018
|6,710,798
|62,197
|108,526
| style="color:red;" | -46,329
|9.3
|16.2
| style="color:red;" | -6.9
| -0.5
|1.73
|-
|2019
|6,616,726
|61,538
|108,083
| style="color:red;" | -46,545
|9.3
|16.3
| style="color:red;" | -7.0
| -0.3
|1.79
|-
|2020
|6,550,696
|59,086
|124,735
| style="color:red;" | -65,649
|9.0
|19.0
| style="color:red;" | -10.0
|4.4
|1.77
|-
|2021
|6,507,301
|58,678
|148,995
| style="color:red;" | -90,317
|9.0
|22.9
| style="color:red;" | -13.9
|1.8
|1.80
|-
|2022
|6,447,710
|56,596
|118,814
| style="color:red;" | -62,218
|8.8
|18.4
| style="color:red;" | -9.6
| 4.2
|1.78
|-
|2023
|6,445,481
|57,197
|101,006
| style="color:red;" | -43,809
|8.9
|15.7
| style="color:red;" | -6.8
|6.4
|1.81
|-
|2024
|6,437,360
| style="color:red;" | 53,428
|100,736
| style="color:red;" | -47,308
|8.3
|15.6
| style="color:red;" | -7.3
|6.0
|1.72
|}

===Current vital statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! Period
! Live births
! Deaths
! Natural increase
|-
| '''January—September 2024'''
| 36,713
| 69,250
| -32,537
|-
| '''January—September 2025'''
| 36,617
| 70,120
| -33,503
|-
| '''Difference'''
|{{decrease}} -96 (-0.26%)
|{{increasenegative}} +870 (+1.26%)
|{{decrease}} -966
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | '''Source:'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ncpha.government.bg/index/163-jivorodeni-murtvorodeni-i-umreli.html?lang=bg|title=Живородени, мъртвородени и умрели|website=ncpha.government.bg}}</ref>
|}

{{#chart:Bulgaria Natural Population Change.chart}}

===Total fertility rates by region===
{{Main article|#Present-day}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 2024<ref>{{Cite web |title=Total fertility rate by NUTS 2 region |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00100/default/table |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref><ref name="TFR NSI"/>
!Regions
!TFR
|-
|[[Yugoiztochen Planning Region|Yugoiztochen]]
|2.03
|-
|[[Severozapaden Planning Region|Severozapaden]]
|1.91
|-
|[[Yuzhen Tsentralen Planning Region|Yuzhen tsentralen]]
|1.75
|-
|[[Severoiztochen Planning Region|Severoiztochen]]
|1.63
|-
|[[Severen Tsentralen Planning Region|Severen tsentralen]]
|1.62
|-
|[[Yugozapaden Planning Region|Yugozapaden]]
|1.55
|-
!{{Flag|Bulgaria}}
!1.72
|}

== Birth rates and fertility ==

===Historical birth and fertility rates===
The first reliable data about fertility and natural increase rates in the Bulgarian lands date back to the mid-1800s.

According to Turkish statistician [[Kemal Karpat]], Non-Muslims, Bulgarians included, in the [[Ottoman Empire]] received a remarkable boost in fertility in the early 1830s. Their average growth rate climbed up to 2% per year, compared to zero among Muslims, who suffered from demographic stagnation.<ref name=KKarpat1>{{cite book|last1=Karpat |first1=K.H. |title=Ottoman population, 1830-1914: demographic and social characteristics |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison, Wis |year=1985 | url=https://www.academia.edu/27913581 | pages=70|quote=The assessment of fertility rates is an absolute necessity for the understanding of the growth rate of the Ottoman population. It is generally assumed that during the first thirtv years of the nineteenth century the Ottoman population decreased, beginning to increase again after 1850. This assumption is one-sided and only partly true, for it ignores the differences in growth rates between Muslim and non-Muslim groups. The non-Muslim population actually grew at a fairly fast rate after the 1830s—probably 2 percent annually; the Muslim population declined or remained the same in number. There are indications, however, that fertility rates among the Muslims began to increase after 1850. The causes of the disproportionate fertility rates among the two groups are to be found in the special economic and social conditions which favored non-Muslims and penalized the Muslims, especially Turks. Male Turks spent their peak reproductive years in military service and were unable to marry and settle down to take advantage of economic opportunities. Then, when in the nineteenth century the Ottoman state was exposed to the influence of the European capitalist economy and to intensified internal and international trade, several non-Muslim groups became the early recipients of the economic benefits—and the promoters as well—of the new economic system. }}</ref>

The same trend continued well after Bulgaria's Liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878.<ref name="Godishnik">{{cite journal|journal=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство|publisher=National Statistical Institute|year=1915|language=bg, fr|location=Sofia|title=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство за 1912 г.|trans-title=Statistical Almanac of the Tsardom of Bulgaria for 1912|pages=75–77, 105|url=https://www.nsi.bg/statlib/bg/lister.php?iid=DO-010000465&page=1}}</ref> Until the early 1890s, Muslim birth rates in Bulgaria hesitated in the low 20s, dwarfed by rates of + 40‰ among Orthodox Christians, while natural increase rates hovered around zero.<ref name="Godishnik"/> The ongoing Muslim demographic crisis and the heavy migration to Turkey were the two primary reasons for the rapid decrease in Bulgaria's Muslim and Turkish population between 1880 and 1910, from 28.7% in 1880 to 13.8% in 1910 for Muslims and from 26.2% to 10.7% for Turks.

Muslim birth and natural increase rates started climbing slowly from the late 1890s but only surpassed Orthodox ones in 1924. Nevertheless, it was not the Eastern Orthodox but rather Bulgaria's [[Catholic Church in Bulgaria|Roman Catholics]] that had the highest birth rate during the period, though usually offset by very high mortality rates.

<div style="text-align: center;">'''Average Number of Births & Deaths, Average Birth Rate, Death Rate and Rate of Natural Increase in the Principality of Bulgaria by Period and Confession'''<ref name="Godishnik"/><ref name="Godishnik1930">{{cite journal|journal=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство|publisher=National Statistical Institute|year=1930|language=bg, fr|location=Sofia|title=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство за 1929–1930 г.|trans-title=Statistical Almanac of the Tsardom of Bulgaria for 1929–1930|pages=61, 89|url=https://www.nsi.bg/statlib/bg/lister.php?iid=DO-010000839&page=1}}</ref><ref name="Godishnik1934">{{cite journal|journal=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство|publisher=National Statistical Institute|year=1930|language=bg, fr|location=Sofia|title=Статистически годишник на Българското Царство за 1934 г.|trans-title=Statistical Almanac of the Tsardom of Bulgaria for 1934|pages=53, 64|url=https://www.nsi.bg/statlib/bg/lister.php?iid=DO-010001024&page=1}}</ref></div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1891–1894 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:110pt;" rowspan="2" | Confession  || style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Live births per year</span> || style="width:25pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:25pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">104,749</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">40.1</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">78,165</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">30.0</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''10.1'''</span>
|-
| [[Islam in Bulgaria|Muslims]]|| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">14,972</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.3</span>|| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">13,924</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">21.8</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''1.5'''</span>
|-
| [[Judaism in Bulgaria|Jews]] || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,038</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">36.6</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">684</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">24.1</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|12.5}}'''</span>
|-
|[[Roman Catholic Church in Bulgaria|Roman Catholics]] ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">911</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|40.3}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">901</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|39.8}}'''</span>|| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|0.5}}'''</span>
|-
|[[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Gregorians]] ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">210</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">31.6</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">173</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">26.2</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''5.4'''</span>
|-
|[[Protestantism in Bulgaria|Protestants]] ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">49</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|20.5}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">35</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|14.7}}'''</span>|| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''5.8'''</span>
|-
! style="text-align: left;"|TOTAL ||style="text-align: right;"| 121,929  ||style="text-align: right;"| 36.7 ||style="text-align: right;"| 93,883 || style="text-align: right;"|28.4 || style="text-align: right;"|8.3
|-
|}</div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1899–1902 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> Live births per year </span> || style="width:27pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:27pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">125,151</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|41.4}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">70,608</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.4</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''18.0'''</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">20,071</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">31.2</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">15,786</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">24.5</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''6.7'''</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,295</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">38.5</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">551</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">16.4</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> {{font color|royalblue|'''22.1'''}}</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,163</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">40.7</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">818</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">''' {{font color|orangered|28.6}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''12.1'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">383</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">27.7</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">298</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">21.6</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> {{font color|orangered|'''6.1'''}}</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">119</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|26.3}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">70</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|15.5}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''10.8'''</span>
|-
! style="text-align: right;"|148,182 ||style="text-align: right;"| 39.6  ||style="text-align: right;"| 88,081 || style="text-align: right;"| 23.5 || style="text-align: right;"|16.1
|-
|}</div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1904–1907 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> Live births per year </span> || style="width:25pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:25pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">148,076</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">44.2</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">72,816</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">21.8</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|royalblue|'''22.4'''}}</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23,122</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">38.3</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">14,041</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.3</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''15.0''' </span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,288</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">34.2</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">518</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">13.7</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''20.5'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,321</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|44.5}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">785</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|26.4}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''18.1'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">358</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|28.3}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">279</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">22.1</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|orangered|'''6.2'''}}</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">182</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">32.2</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">85</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|15.1}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''17.1'''</span>
|-
! style="text-align: right;"|174,347 ||style="text-align: right;"| 43.2 ||style="text-align: right;"| 88,524 || style="text-align: right;"| 21.9 || style="text-align: right;"|21.3
|-
|}</div>

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1909–1912 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:110pt;" rowspan="2" | Confession  || style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Live births per year</span> || style="width:25pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:25pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">151,155</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">41.5</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">82,006</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.0</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|18.5}}'''</span>
|-
| [[Islam in Bulgaria|Muslims]]|| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23,896</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">39.7</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">15,892</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">26.4</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''13.3'''</span>
|-
| [[Judaism in Bulgaria|Jews]] || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,234</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">30.8</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">532</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|13.3}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''17.5'''</span>
|-
|[[Roman Catholic Church in Bulgaria|Roman Catholics]] ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,361</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|42.4}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">857</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|26.7}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''15.7'''</span>
|-
|[[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Gregorians]] ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">298</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">24.1</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">241</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">19.6</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|4.5}}'''</span>
|-
|[[Protestantism in Bulgaria|Protestants]] ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">194</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|30.1}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">108</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">17.3</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''12.8'''</span>
|-
! style="text-align: left;"|TOTAL ||style="text-align: right;"| 178,138  ||style="text-align: right;"| 41.1 ||style="text-align: right;"| 99,636 || style="text-align: right;"|23.0 || style="text-align: right;"|18.1
|-
|}</div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1919–1922 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> Live births per year </span> || style="width:25pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:25pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">159,843</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">39.3</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">85,295</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">21.0</span> || style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''18.3'''</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">24,346</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">35.2</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">16,079</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.3</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''11.9'''</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,158</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|26.7}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">536</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|12.4}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> '''14.3'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,372</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|40.2}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">830</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|24.4}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''15.8'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">298</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">27.5</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">251</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">23.1</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|orangered|'''4.4'''}}</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">198</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">35.3</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">92</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">16.4</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|royalblue|'''18.9'''}}</span>
|-
! style="text-align: right;"|187,233 ||style="text-align: right;"| 38.8  ||style="text-align: right;"| 103,083 || style="text-align: right;"| 21.3 || style="text-align: right;"|17.5
|-
|}</div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+1925–1928 Averages by Confession
|-
! style="width:50pt;" |<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;"> Live births per year </span> || style="width:25pt;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Birth rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Deaths per year</span> || style="width:25pt;" | <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Death rate</span> ||style="width:50pt;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Rate of natural increase</span>
|- class="static-row-header"
! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">Number</span> !!style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span> !! style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">‰</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">156,839</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">34.3</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">82,220</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">18.0</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''16.3'''</span>
|-
| style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">31,575</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|40.0}}'''</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">17,458</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|22.1}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|royalblue|'''17.9'''}}</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,032</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|orangered|22.2}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">515</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''{{font color|royalblue|11.1}}'''</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''11.1'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">1,566</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">38.8</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">878</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">21.7</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''17.1'''</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">646</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">25.5</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">434</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">17.1</span> ||style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">{{font color|orangered|'''8.4'''}}</span>
|-
|style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">221</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">32.8</span> ||style="text-align: right;"| <span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">108</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">16.0</span> || style="text-align: right;"|<span style="font-size:90%; line-height: 1.01em;">'''16.8'''</span>
|-
! style="text-align: right;"|191,890 ||style="text-align: right;"| 35.0 ||style="text-align: right;"| 101,613 || style="text-align: right;"| 18.5 || style="text-align: right;"|16.5
|-
|}</div>

In the 1930s and 1940s, ethnic Bulgarians completed stage 2 of their [[demographic transition]], and crude birth rate among them fell to a mere 23.3‰ by 1946, or twice as low as the birth rate of Bulgaria's two largest minorities, [[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]] (40.9‰) and [[Romani people in Bulgaria|Roma]] (47.2‰).<ref name=Ilieva>{{cite journal|journal=Проблеми на географията|volume=1-2|year=2011|location=Sofia|publisher=Bulgarian Academy of Sciences|last=Ilieva|first=Nadezhda|title=Промени в локализацията на ромската етническа група в България|trans-title=Problems in the Localisation of Romani in Bulgaria|pages=3|url=https://geoproblems.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2011_12/4_ilieva.pdf }}</ref> At the same time, due to higher mortality, the rate of natural increase among Bulgarian Turks was almost identical to that among ethnic Bulgarians (12.1‰ vs. 11.1‰), while the rate among the Romani was twice as high (23.1‰).<ref name=Ilieva/>

===Present-day===

A total of 64,984 live births were recorded in Bulgaria in 2016, giving the country a crude birth rate of 9.1‰.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6623/live-births-districts-municipalities-and-sex|title=Live births by districts, municipalities and sex - National statistical institute|website=www.nsi.bg|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315133635/http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6623/live-births-districts-municipalities-and-sex|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bulgaria has a low [[total fertility rate]] of 1.58 children per woman (according to the 2021 Census). This is up significantly from the late 1990s, but still below replacement and not enough to prevent further population decline, especially with emigration. Provinces with large Roma populations (for example [[Sliven Province|Sliven]], [[Montana Province|Montana]] and [[Yambol Province|Yambol]]) tend to have higher fertility rates (and higher death rates) compared to other areas, whereas Turkish fertility is similar to the Bulgarian majority.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bulgaria Writes New Chapter In Long Story Of Demographic Decline|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2020/07/09/bulgaria-writes-new-chapter-in-long-story-of-demographic-decline/|date=9 July 2020|access-date=28 October 2020|first=Timothy|last=Judah|newspaper=The Economist|publisher=[[Balkan Insight]]}}</ref> The average number of (live births) children in 2021 was 1.47 for all women (aged 12 or more), ranging from 0.04 children for women between the ages of 12-19 to 1.92 children per women between the ages of 70-79. The distribution by ethnicity shows that only among women who identify themselves as belonging to the Roma ethnic group, the average number of children is sufficient for simple reproduction - 2.25 children, mainly because of the significantly younger age structure and low educational level of this group, followed by the Turkish ethnic group with 1.79 children and 1.41 children for women who self-identified as belonging to the Bulgarian ethnic.<ref>{{cite news|title= NSI - Birth rate, final data|url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021-Fertility_en.pdf|date=2021|access-date=22 October 2022|publisher=[[National Statistical Institute (Bulgaria)]]}}</ref> The distribution of the average number of live births by religion changes from 1.83 children for Muslim women and 1.82 children for Protestant women, followed by 'other Christian' (1.63), Eastern Orthodox (1.43), Catholic (1.36), Jewish (1.27) and Armenian Apostolic (1.26). Women without religion had an average number of 1.40 children.

[[File:Vital statistics Bulgaria.tif|800px|frameless|left|Births and deaths, Bulgaria 1900-2015]]
<br />
<gallery widths=180>
File:Bulgaria map birth rate by region 2014.svg|Birth rate in 2014
File:Bulgaria total fertility rate by region 2013.png|Fertility rate in 2013
File:Bulgaria total fertility rate by region 2014.png|Fertility rate in 2014
File:Графика на раждаемостта и смъртността в България.JPG|Bulgaria's deaths and births (2005–2009).
</gallery>

[[File:Fertility rate of Bulgaria.GIF|thumb|right|upright=2.5|Fertility rate (1980–2010)]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Total fertility rate and crude birth rate by province in 2010 and from 2016 to 2024 (NSI)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6615/total-fertility-rate-statistical-regions-districts-and-place-residence|title=Total fertility rate by statistical regions, districts and place of residence - National statistical institute|website=www.nsi.bg|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-date=20 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320150417/http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6615/total-fertility-rate-statistical-regions-districts-and-place-residence|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="TFR NSI">{{cite web|url=https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/2970/total-fertility-rate-statistical-regions-districts-and-place-residence|title=Total fertility rate by statistical regions, districts and place of residence - National statistical institute|website=www.nsi.bg}}</ref>
|-
!Province
! TFR (2010) || TFR (2016) || TFR (2017) || TFR (2018) || TFR (2019) || TFR (2020) || TFR (2021) || TFR (2022) || TFR (2023) || TFR (2024)
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Severozapaden Planning Region|Northwest Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.53 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.72 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.72 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.75 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.77 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.75 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.73 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.92 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.94 {{increase}} || style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''1.91''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Vidin Province|Vidin]]
| 1.50 || 1.45 {{decrease}} || 1.58 {{increase}} || | 1.68 {{increase}} || 1.65 {{decrease}}|| 1.45 {{decrease}}|| 1.64 {{increase}}|| 1.83 {{increase}} || 1.92 {{increase}} || 1.93 {{increase}}
|-
|[[Vratsa Province|Vratsa]]
| 1.46 || 1.77 {{increase}} || 1.68 {{decrease}} || | 1.81 {{increase}} || 1.83 {{increase}}|| 1.85 {{increase}}|| 1.76 {{decrease}}|| 1.84 {{increase}} || 1.92 {{increase}} || 1.92 {{steady}}
|-
|[[Lovech Province|Lovech]]
| 1.58 || 1.66 {{increase}} || 1.79 {{increase}} || 1.89 {{increase}} || 1.84 {{decrease}} || 1.91 {{increase}}|| 1.88 {{decrease}} || style="color: blue"| 2.11 {{increase}} || 2.06 {{decrease}} || 2.09 {{increase}}
|-
|[[Montana Province|Montana]]
| 1.52 || 1.74 {{increase}} || 1.65 {{decrease}} || 1.67 {{increase}} || 1.62 {{decrease}} || 1.63 {{increase}}|| 1.73 {{increase}}|| 1.87 {{increase}} || 1.91 {{increase}} || 1.90 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Pleven Province|Pleven]]
| 1.56 || 1.80 {{increase}} || 1.79 {{decrease}} || | 1.71 {{decrease}} || 1.81 {{increase}} || 1.76 {{decrease}} || 1.66 {{decrease}} || 1.93 {{increase}} || 1.92 {{decrease}} || 1.83 {{decrease}}
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Severen Tsentralen Planning Region|North Central Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.32 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.45 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.45 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.45 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.43 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.37 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.43 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.73 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.79 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''1.62''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Veliko Tarnovo Province|Veliko Tarnovo]]
| 1.19 || 1.40 {{increase}} || 1.43 {{increase}} || 1.34 {{decrease}} || 1.27 {{decrease}} || 1.25 {{decrease}} || 1.35 {{increase}} || 1.69 {{increase}} || 1.74 {{increase}} || 1.57 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Gabrovo Province|Gabrovo]]
| 1.43 || 1.41 {{decrease}} || 1.49 {{increase}} || 1.58 {{increase}} || 1.69 {{increase}} || 1.46 {{decrease}} || 1.43 {{decrease}} || 1.86 {{increase}} || 1.79 {{decrease}} || 1.71 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Razgrad Province|Razgrad]]
| 1.37 || 1.49 {{increase}} || 1.48 {{decrease}} || 1.65 {{increase}} || 1.60 {{decrease}} || 1.50 {{decrease}} || 1.53 {{increase}} || 1.70 {{increase}} || 1.77 {{increase}} || 1.50 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Ruse Province|Ruse]]
| 1.34 || 1.40 {{increase}}|| 1.37 {{decrease}} || 1.41 {{increase}} || 1.30 {{decrease}} || 1.34 {{increase}} || 1.40 {{increase}} || 1.60 {{increase}} || 1.71 {{increase}} || 1.62 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Silistra Province|Silistra]]
| 1.49 ||  1.77 {{increase}}|| 1.71 {{decrease}} || 1.55 {{decrease}} || 1.76 {{increase}}|| 1.58 {{decrease}} || 1.60 {{increase}} || 2.01 {{increase}} || 2.08 {{increase}} || 1.86 {{decrease}}
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Severoiztochen Planning Region|Northeast Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.53 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.50 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.48 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.49 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.52 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.45 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.46 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.75 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.76 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''1.63''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Varna Province|Varna]]
| 1.57 || 1.45 {{decrease}} || 1.44 {{decrease}} || 1.44 {{steady}} || 1.47 {{increase}} || 1.49 {{increase}} || 1.49 {{steady}} || 1.68 {{increase}} || 1.64 {{decrease}} || 1.56 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Dobrich Province|Dobrich]]
| 1.44 || 1.53 {{increase}} || 1.51 {{decrease}} || 1.44 {{decrease}} || 1.56 {{increase}} || 1.44 {{decrease}} || 1.37 {{decrease}} || 1.78 {{increase}} || 1.94 {{increase}} || 1.71 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Targovishte Province|Targovishte]]
| 1.67 || 1.59 {{decrease}}|| 1.57 {{decrease}} || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.61 {{decrease}} || 1.41 {{decrease}} || 1.46 {{increase}} || 1.91 {{increase}} || 1.93 {{increase}} || 1.88 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Shumen Province|Shumen]]
| 1.42 || 1.54 {{increase}} || 1.45 {{decrease}} || 1.53 {{increase}} || 1.51 {{decrease}} || 1.35 {{decrease}} || 1.39 {{increase}} || 1.92 {{increase}} || 1.87 {{decrease}} || 1.67 {{decrease}}
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Yugoiztochen Planning Region|Southeast Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.67 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.82 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.88 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.84 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.87 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.82 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.82 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 2.01 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0; color: blue" | 2.14 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''2.03''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Burgas Province|Burgas]]
| 1.54 || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.65 {{increase}} || 1.61 {{decrease}} || 1.69 {{increase}} || 1.59 {{decrease}} || 1.57 {{decrease}} || 1.76 {{increase}} || 1.88 {{increase}} || 1.70 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Sliven Province|Sliven]]
| 1.95 || style="color: blue"| 2.24 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.34 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.27 {{decrease}} || style="color: blue"| 2.35 {{increase}}|| style="color: blue"| 2.24 {{decrease}} || style="color: blue"| 2.29 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.57 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.60 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.59 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Stara Zagora Province|Stara Zagora]]
| 1.64 || 1.73 {{increase}} || 1.80 {{increase}} || 1.76 {{decrease}} || 1.72 {{decrease}} || 1.73 {{increase}} || 1.73 {{steady}} || 1.84 {{increase}} || 2.05 {{increase}} || 1.96 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Yambol Province|Yambol]]
| 1.70 || 1.98 {{increase}} || 2,00 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.13 {{increase}} || 2.06 {{decrease}}|| 2.08 {{increase}} || 2.07 {{decrease}} || style="color: blue"| 2.35 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.43 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.45 {{increase}}
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Yugozapaden Planning Region|Southwest Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.42 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.36 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.38 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.38 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.42 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.44 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.47 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.59 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.62 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''1.55''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Blagoevgrad Province|Blagoevgrad]]
| 1.46 || 1.46 {{steady}} || 1.45 {{decrease}} || 1.50 {{increase}} || 1.62 {{increase}} || 1.61 {{decrease}} || 1.62 {{increase}} || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.77 {{increase}} || 1.66 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Kyustendil Province|Kyustendil]]
| 1.33 || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.75 {{increase}} || 1.76 {{increase}} || 1.95 {{increase}} || 1.77 {{decrease}} || 1.76 {{decrease}} || 1.82 {{increase}} || 1.81 {{decrease}} || 1.78 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Pernik Province|Pernik]]
| 1.35 || 1.62 {{increase}} || 1.66 {{increase}} || 1.73 {{increase}} || 1.68 {{decrease}} || 1.54 {{decrease}} || 1.67 {{increase}} || 1.53 {{decrease}} || 1.47 {{decrease}} || 1.40 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Sofia Province|Sofia]]
| 1.45 || 1.74 {{increase}} || 1.73 {{decrease}} || 1.80 {{increase}} || 1.91 {{increase}} || 1.90 {{decrease}} || 1.92 {{increase}} || 1.90 {{decrease}} || 1.98 {{increase}} || 1.90 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Sofia]] (city)
| 1.39 || 1.27 {{decrease}} || 1.29 {{increase}} || 1.26 {{decrease}} || 1.28 {{increase}} || 1.33 {{increase}} || 1.36 {{increase}} || 1.51 {{increase}} || 1.53 {{increase}} || 1.47 {{decrease}}
|-
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | [[Yuzhen Tsentralen Planning Region|South Central Region]]
|style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.50 ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.61 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.65 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.65 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.66 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.59 {{decrease}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.59 {{steady}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.82 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | 1.88 {{increase}} ||style="background:#EAECF0;" | '''1.75''' {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Kardzhali Province|Kardzhali]]
| 1.49 || 1.64 {{increase}} || 1.66 {{increase}} || 1.70 {{increase}} || 1.74 {{increase}} || 1.49 {{decrease}} || 1.31 {{decrease}} || 1.78 {{increase}} || 1.89 {{increase}} || 1.51 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Pazardzhik Province|Pazardzhik]]
| 1.58 || 1.72 {{increase}} || 1.75 {{increase}} || 1.85 {{increase}} || 1.81 {{decrease}} || 1.70 {{decrease}} || 1.57 {{decrease}} || 2.02 {{increase}} || style="color: blue"| 2.22 {{increase}} || 2.03 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Plovdiv Province|Plovdiv]]
| 1.49 || 1.56 {{increase}} || 1.60 {{increase}} || 1.61 {{increase}} || 1.60 {{decrease}} || 1.58 {{decrease}} || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.82 {{increase}} || 1.84 {{increase}} || 1.74 {{decrease}}
|-
|[[Smolyan Province|Smolyan]]
| 1.33 || 1.45 {{increase}} || 1.47 {{increase}} || 1.40 {{decrease}} || 1.49 {{increase}} || 1.49 {{steady}} || 1.48 {{decrease}} || 1.33 {{decrease}} || 1.45 {{increase}} || 1.54 {{increase}}
|-
|[[Haskovo Province|Haskovo]]
| 1.53 || 1.70 {{increase}} || 1.75 {{increase}} || 1.62 {{decrease}} || 1.71 {{increase}}|| 1.59 {{decrease}} || 1.63 {{increase}} || 1.82 {{increase}} || 1.83 {{increase}} || 1.77 {{decrease}}
|-
! [[Bulgaria]] || 1.49 || 1.54 {{increase}} || 1.56 {{increase}} || 1.56 {{steady}} || 1.58 {{increase}}|| 1.56 {{decrease}} || {{increase}} 1.58 || {{increase}} 1.78 || {{increase}} 1.81 || {{decrease}} 1.72
|}

=== Regional differences ===

As of 2022, the municipality of [[Tvarditsa Municipality|Tvarditsa]] has the highest crude birth rate in the country, at 18.4‰, followed by the municipalities of [[Yablanitsa Municipality|Yablanitsa]] (17.9‰) and [[Nikolaevo|Nikolaevo Municipality]] (17.2‰). All these municipalities have relatively large [[Romani people in Bulgaria|Romani]] populations.
<br />
{| class="wikitable centre" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! colspan=19 | Top 20 municipalities with the highest birth rate (2021)<ref name="birth1">{{cite web|title=Live births by districts, municipalities and sex|publisher=National Statistical Institute|url=https://nsi.bg/en/content/2961/live-births-districts-municipalities-and-sex}}</ref><ref name="pop1">{{cite web|title=Population by Districts, Municipalities, Place of Residence and Sex as of 31.12.2022|publisher=National Statistical Institute|url=https://nsi.bg/en/content/2975/population-districts-municipalities-place-residence-and-sex}}</ref>
|-
! Municipality !! Birth rate (‰)
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Tvarditsa Municipality]], [[Sliven Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 18.4
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Yablanitsa Municipality]], [[Lovech Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 17.9
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nikolaevo|Nikolaevo Municipality]], [[Stara Zagora Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 17.2
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Kaynardzha Municipality]], [[Silistra Province]] || 16.1
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Ugarchin Municipality]], [[Lovech Province]] || 15.1
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Kotel Municipality]], [[Sliven Province]] || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nikola Kozlevo Municipality]], [[Shumen Province]] || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Lukovit Municipality]], [[Lovech Province]] || 13.6
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Dolna Banya Municipality]], [[Sofia Province]] || 13.0
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Bratya Daskalovi|Bratya Daskalovi Municipality]], [[Stara Zagora Province]] || 12.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Straldzha|Straldzha Municipality]], [[Yambol Province]] || 12.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Gurkovo|Gurkovo Municipality]], [[Stara Zagora Province]] || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Sadovo|Sadovo Municipality]], [[Plovdiv Province]] || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nova Zagora]] Municipality, [[Sliven Province]] || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Strazhitsa Municipality]], [[Veliko Tarnovo Province]] || 12.2
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Suhindol Municipality]], [[Veliko Tarnovo Province]] || 12.2
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Ruzhintsi Municipality]], [[Vidin Province]] || 12.1
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Rakovski (town)|Rakovski Municipality]], [[Plovdiv Province]] || 12.1
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | [[Devnya Municipality]], [[Varna Province]] || 12.0
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | [[Dimovo Municipality]], [[Vidin Province]] || 12.0
|-
! colspan=19 | Top 20 municipalities with the lowest birth rate (2017)<ref name="nsi.bg1">{{cite web |url= http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6627/live-births-districts-municipalities-and-mother's-age|title=Live births|website=www.nsi.bg}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nedelino]] Municipality, [[Smolyan Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Hisarya, Bulgaria|Hisarya]] Municipality, [[Plovdiv Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.6
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Kocherinovo Municipality]], [[Kyustendil Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.6
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Devin, Bulgaria|Devin]] Municipality, [[Smolyan Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Gramada Municipality]], [[Vidin Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Svoge Municipality]], [[Sofia Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Godech Municipality]], [[Sofia Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.4
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Apriltsi Municipality]], [[Lovech Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.3
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Novo Selo Municipality]], [[Vidin Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Chepelare]] Municipality, [[Smolyan Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.9
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Zemen]] Municipality, [[Pernik Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.9
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Hitrino Municipality]], [[Shumen Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Chiprovtsi Municipality]], [[Montana Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.7
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Borovo Municipality, Bulgaria|Borovo Municipality]], [[Ruse Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.5
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Belene Municipality]], [[Pleven Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.4
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Tryavna Municipality]], [[Gabrovo Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.2
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Boynitsa Municipality]], [[Vidin Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 4.0
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nevestino Municipality]], [[Kyustendil Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 3.8
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Banite]] Municipality, [[Smolyan Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 3.2
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Georgi Damyanovo Municipality]], [[Montana Province]] || style="text-align:right; | 3.1
|}
On the other hand, the municipalities of [[Georgi Damyanovo Municipality|Georgi Damyanovo]], [[Banite]] and [[Nevestino Municipality|Nevestino]] have incredibly low birth rates. These municipalities are almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians.

=== Teenage pregnancy ===

Bulgaria has one of the highest share of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Nevertheless, this number declined rapidly between 1995 and 2010, until it stabilized at around 10%.

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=19 | Number of teenage mothers in Bulgaria in the period 1990-2024<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Live births by districts, municipalities and mother's age|publisher=National Statistical Institute|url=https://nsi.bg/en/content/2965/live-births-districts-municipalities-and-mother%E2%80%99s-age}}</ref>
|-
! style="width:140pt; align="left"| Year || 1990 || 1995 || 2000 || 2005 || 2010 || 2015 || 2017 || 2020 || 2021 || 2022 || 2023 || 2024
|-
| All live births in Bulgaria || 105,180 || 71,967 || 73,679 || 69,886 || 75,513 || 65,950 || 63,955 || 59,086 || 58,678 || 56,596 || 57,197 || 53,428
|-
|  '''Mothers aged under twenty''' || '''22,518''' || '''16,278''' || '''12,787''' || '''10,625''' || '''8,411''' || '''6,274''' || '''6,038''' || '''5,970''' || '''5,861''' || '''5,769''' || '''5,820''' || '''5,819'''
|-
| Share of teenage mothers || {{increase}} 21.4% || {{increase}}22.6% || {{decrease}} 17.4% || {{decrease}} 15.2% || {{decrease}} 11.1% || {{decrease}} 9.5% ||{{decrease}} 9.4% ||{{increase}} 10.1%  ||{{decrease}} 10.0% || {{increase}} 10.2% || {{steady}} 10.2% || {{increase}} 10.9%
|}

The ten municipalities with the largest absolute number of teenage mothers for 2022 are: [[Sliven]] (371), [[Sofia]] (345), [[Plovdiv]] (196), [[Pazardzhik]] (130), [[Yambol]] (123), [[Nova Zagora]] (121), [[Burgas]] (108), [[Pleven]] (110), [[Tvarditsa, Sliven Province|Tvarditsa]] (98), [[Stara Zagora]], [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] (83) and [[Haskovo]] (81).<ref name="auto1"/>

{| class="wikitable centre" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! colspan=19 | Top ten municipalities with the highest share of mothers aged under twenty (2022)<ref name="auto1"/>
|-
! Municipality !! All live births || Births to mothers aged under twenty || % of all live births
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Gurkovo|Gurkovo Municipality]]  || style="text-align:right; | 54|| style="text-align:right; | 25|| 46.3%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Simeonovgrad Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 78 || style="text-align:right; | 33 || 43.3%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Ugarchin Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 75|| style="text-align:right; | 32 || 42.7%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Yablanitsa Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 99 || style="text-align:right; | 40 || 40.4%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Tvarditsa, Sliven Province|Tvarditsa Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 243 || style="text-align:right; | 98|| 40.4%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Kaynardzha Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 63 || style="text-align:right; | 25 || 39.7%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Straldzha|Straldzha Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 127 || style="text-align:right; | 47 || 37.0%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Maglizh|Maglizh Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 101 || style="text-align:right; | 36 || 35.6%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Sredets Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 118 || style="text-align:right; | 41 || 34.7%
|-
| style="text-align:right; | [[Nova Zagora Municipality]] || style="text-align:right; | 371 || style="text-align:right; | 121 || 32.6%
|}

== Life expectancy at birth ==
[[File:Life expectancy in Bulgaria.svg|thumb|400px|Life expectancy in Bulgaria since 1900]]
[[File:Life expectancy by WBG -Bulgaria -diff.png|thumb|400px|Life expectancy in Bulgaria since 1960 by gender]]

:Total population: {{increase}} 74.83 years
:Male: {{increase}} 71.37 years
:Female: {{increase}} 78.39 years (2016-2018 est.)<ref name="nsi.bg">{{Cite web|title=
НАСЕЛЕНИЕ КЪМ 31.12.2022 Г. ПО ОБЛАСТИ, ОБЩИНИ, МЕСТОЖИВЕЕНЕ И ПОЛ|url=https://nsi.bg/bg/content/2975/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D0%BF%D0%BE-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5-%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB|website=www.nsi.bg|date=28 April 2023|access-date=15 August 2023}}</ref>
<br />
Average [[life expectancy]] at age 0 of the total population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations|website=esa.un.org|access-date=2018-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|archive-date=19 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Period
!Life expectancy in<br />Years
|-
|1950–1955
|62.33
|-
|1955–1960
|{{increase}} 66.78
|-
|1960–1965
|{{increase}} 70.28
|-
|1965–1970
|{{increase}} 70.91
|-
|1970–1975
|{{increase}} 71.07
|-
|1975–1980
|{{increase}} 71.10
|-
|1980–1985
|{{increase}} 71.24
|-
|1985–1990
|{{increase}} 71.39
|-
|1990–1995
|{{decrease}} 71.11
|-
|1995–2000
|{{decrease}} 70.97
|-
|2000–2005
|{{increase}} 72.19
|-
|2005–2010
|{{increase}} 73.13
|-
|2010–2015
|{{increase}} 74.25
|-
|2016–2018
|{{increase}} 74.83
|}
<br />
[[Kardzhali Province]] and [[Sofia City]] have the highest life expectancy with 76.6 years for both sexes. The lowest life expectancy is recorded in the [[Severozapaden Planning Region|Northwestern provinces]] like [[Montana Province|Montana]] (72.7 years), [[Vratsa Province|Vratsa]] (72.8 years) and [[Vidin Province|Vidin]] (72.9 years).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6649/life-expectancy-districts-and-sex |title=- National Statistical Institute |access-date=29 October 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808142849/https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6649/life-expectancy-districts-and-sex |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Infant mortality rate ==
:Total: {{DecreasePositive}} 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |title=CRUDE MORTALITY RATE AND INFANT MORTALITY RATE BY RESIDENCE, SEX AND DISTRICTS |url=https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=83}}</ref>
:Male: {{DecreasePositive}} 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024)
:Female: {{DecreasePositive}} 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024)

== Projections ==
The following forecast for the future population is an official estimate of the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria.<ref name="bul">{{Cite web |title=Population projections by sex and age {{!}} National statistical institute |url=https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/2994/population-projections-sex-and-age |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=www.nsi.bg}}</ref>
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" style="width:15%; border-collapse:collapse; border-color:#f2f2f4; margin-top:5px; margin-bottom:5px; font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
|- style="background:#f2f2f4;"
| '''Year'''
| '''Population'''
|-
| '''2025'''
|align="right"| 6,263,384
|-
| '''2030'''
|align="right"| 6,007,657
|-
| '''2035'''
|align="right"| 5,801,261
|-
| '''2040'''
|align="right"| 5,637,361
|-
| '''2045'''
|align="right"| 5,505,143
|-
| '''2050'''
|align="right"| 5,391,291
|-
| '''2055'''
|align="right"| 5,287,150
|-
| '''2060'''
|align="right"| 5,189,165
|-
|'''2065'''
|align="right"| 5,099,550
|-
|'''2070'''
|align="right"| 5,025,580
|-
| '''2075'''
|align="right"| 4,971,948
|-
| '''2080'''
|align="right"| 4,937,302
|-
| '''2085'''
|align="right"| 4,919,505
|-
| '''2090'''
|align="right"| 4,915,423
|}

==Demographic statistics==

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.<ref name=WPR2018>{{citation|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/bulgaria-population/|title=Bulgaria Population 2018|website=World Population Review}}</ref>

*One birth every 8 minutes
*One death every 5 minutes
*One net migrant every 111 minutes
*Net loss of one person every 11 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the [[CIA World Factbook]], unless otherwise indicated.<ref name ="cia.gov">{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bulgaria/|title=World Factbook EUROPE : BULGARIA|work=[[The World Factbook]]|date=12 July 2018}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

;Population:
:6,519,789 (Sept 2021 cens)
:6,919,180 (July 2021 est.)
:7,057,504 (July 2018 est.)

;Ethnic groups:
:Bulgarian 76.9%, Turkish/Balkan Gagauz 8%, Romani 4.4%, other 0.7% (including Russian, Armenian, and Vlach), other (unknown) 10% (2011 est.)
:note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 9–11% of Bulgaria's population

;Languages:
:Bulgarian (official) 76.8%, Balkan Gagauz 8.2%, Romani 3.8%, other 0.7%, unspecified 10.5% (2011 est.)

;Religions:
:Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim 7.8%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Jewish) 1.7%, none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4% (2011 est.)

;Age structure:
[[File:Bulgariapop-1950.svg|thumb|upright=2.15|Population pyramid of Bulgaria by age and sex in 1950]]
:''0-14 years:'' 14.52% (male 520,190 /female 491,506)
:''15-24 years:'' 9,4% (male 340,306 /female 312,241)
:''25-54 years:''42.87% (male 1,538,593 /female 1,448,080)
:''55-64:'' 13.15% (male 433,943 /female 482,784)
:''65 years and over:'' 20.06% (male 562,513 /female 835,065) (2020 est.)

:''0-14 years:'' 14.6% (male 530,219 /female 500,398)
:''15-24 years:'' 9.43% (male 346,588 /female 318,645)
:''25-54 years:'' 43.12% (male 1,565,770 /female 1,477,719)
:''55-64 years:'' 13.3% (male 442,083 /female 496,888)
:''65 years and over:'' 19.54% (male 557,237 /female 821,957) (2018 est.)

;Median age:
:total: 43.7 years. Country comparison to the world: 20
:male: 41.9 years
:female: 45.6 years (2020 est.)
:total: 43 years. Country comparison to the world: 22nd
:male: 41.2 years
:female: 44.9 years (2018 est.)

;Birth rate:
:8.15 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 218th
:8.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 215th
[[File:Bulgariapop.svg|thumb|upright=2.15|Population pyramid of Bulgaria in 2017]]
;Death rate:
:14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 3rd
:14.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 4th

;Total fertility rate:
:1.49 children born/woman (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world:204th
:1.47 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 201st

;Net migration rate:
:-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country compy to the world:115

;Population growth rate:
:-0.67% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 229th

;Mother's mean age at first birth:
:27.1 years (2017 est.)

;[[Dependency ratio]]s:
:total dependency ratio: 56.6 (2020 est.)
:youth dependency ratio: 23 (2020 est.)
:elderly dependency ratio: 33.6 (2020 est.)
:[[potential support ratio]]: 3 (2020 est.)

;Urbanization:
:urban population: 75.7% of total population (2020)
.rate of urbanization: -0.22% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
:potential support ratio: 3.3 (2015 est.)
[[File:Bias in Bulgaria.jpg|thumb|upright=2.8|Bias among ethnic groups in Bulgaria]]
;Life expectancy at birth:
:total population: 75.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 122th
:male: 72.08 years
:female: 78.73 years (2021 est.)

;Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
:total population: 98.4%
:male: 98.7%
:female: 98.1% (2015 est.)

;School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
:total: 14 years
:male: 14 years
:female: 14 years (2016)

;Unemployment, youth ages 15–24:
:total: 12.7%. Country comparison to the world: 108th
:male: 13.2%
:female: 13.9% (2018 est.)

=== Sex ratio ===
Of the total 7,364,570 as of 2011, 3,586,571 are [[male]]s and 3,777,999 are [[female]]s, or there are 1,053 women for every 1,000 men.

== Demographic policies ==

The progressive decrease of the Bulgarian population is hindering economic growth and welfare improvement, and the management measures taken to mitigate the negative consequences do not address the essence of the problem. The Government implemented a program for the period 2017 - 2021, the first one aimed at reversing this trend. The program identifies the priority means for achieving this goal: measures to increase the birth rate, reduce youth emigration, and build up regulatory and institutional capacity to implement a modern immigration policy tailored to the needs of Bulgarian business.<ref>L. Ivanov. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319967867_Demographic_priorities_and_goals_of_the_Government_Program_2017-2021_in_Bulgarian_English_translation Demographic priorities and goals of the Government Program 2017–2021.] Presentation at the round table ''Demographic Policies and Labour Mobility'' organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and the State Agency for the Bulgarians Abroad. Sofia, 19 September 2017. 4 pp.</ref><ref>L. Ivanov. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321330880_Measures_to_solve_demographic_problems Measures to solve demographic problems.] ''Business Club Magazine''. Issue 11, 2017. pp. 18-20. {{ISSN|2367-623X}} (in Bulgarian and English)</ref>

== Ethnic groups ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Population of Bulgaria according to ethnic group 1900–1956'''
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:160pt;" | Ethnic group
! colspan="2" | census 1900
! colspan="2" | census 1905
! colspan="2" | census 1910
! colspan="2" | census 1920
! colspan="2" | census 1926
! colspan="2" | census 1934
! colspan="2" | census 1946
! colspan="2" | census 1956
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
|-
| Bulgarians<ref name="1900-2011">{{cite web| url = http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/1/2/R7.aspx| title = Население по местоживеене, пол и етническа група| trans-title = Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group| website = Censusresults.nsi.bg| language = bg| date = 1900–2011| access-date = 27 January 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170530153208/http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/1/2/R7.aspx| archive-date = 30 May 2017| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,888,219
| style="text-align:right;"| 77.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,203,810
| style="text-align:right;"| 79.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,518,756
| style="text-align:right;"| 81.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,036,056
| style="text-align:right;"| 83.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,557,706
| style="text-align:right;"| 83.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,204,217
| style="text-align:right;"| 85.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,903,580
| style="text-align:right;"| 84.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,506,541
| style="text-align:right;"| 85.5
|-
| [[Bulgarian Turks|Turks]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 531,240
| style="text-align:right;"| 14.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 488,010
| style="text-align:right;"| 12.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 465,641
| style="text-align:right;"| 10.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 520,339
| style="text-align:right;"| 10.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 577,552
| style="text-align:right;"| 10.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 591,193
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 675,500
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 656,025
| style="text-align:right;"| 8.6
|-
| [[Romani people in Bulgaria|Roma]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 89,549
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 99,004
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 122,296
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 98,451
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 134,844
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 149,385
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 170,011
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 197,865<sup>'''1'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.6
|-
| [[Romanians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 71,063
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 75,773
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 79,429
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 57,312
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 69,080
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 16,504
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,459
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,749
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
| [[Greeks in Bulgaria|Greeks]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 66,635
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 63,487
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,275
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,074
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,564
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,601
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,623
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,437
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| [[Jews]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 33,661
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,663
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 40,133
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,209
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 46,558
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 48,565
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,209
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,027
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| [[Tatars]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,884
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 17,942
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,228
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,905
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,191
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,133
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,993
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| [[Armenians in Bulgaria|Armenians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,581
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,178
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,932
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,509
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 27,332
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,963
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,637
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,954
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
|-
| [[Gagauzes]]
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,175
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,329
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,669
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,362
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Sarakatsani]]<sup>'''3'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" | 6,128
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.2
| style="text-align:right;" | 7,251
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.2
| style="text-align:right;" | 3,075
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.1
| style="text-align:right;" | 2,866
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" | 2,085
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0
|-
| [[Russians in Bulgaria|Russians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,685
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,275
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,505
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,080
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,706
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,928
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,200
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,551
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| [[Ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria|Macedonians]]<ref>Georgeoff, Peter John (with David Crowe), "National Minorities in Bulgaria, 1919–
1980" in Horak, Stephen, ed., Eastern European National Minorities 1919/1980: A
Handbook, (Littleton, Co: Libraries Limited, Inc.).</ref>
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 169,544<sup>'''2'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 187,789<sup>'''2'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.5
|-
| Others
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" | 15,602
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.2
| style="text-align:right;" | 13,199
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.2
|-
| Undeclared
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| style="text-align:right;"| -
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="text-align:left;"| Total
! colspan="2" | 3,744,283
! colspan="2" | 4,035,575
! colspan="2" | 4,337,513
! colspan="2" | 4,846,971
! colspan="2" | 5,528,741
! colspan="2" | 6,077,939
! colspan="2" | 7,029,349
! colspan="2" | 7,613,709
|-
| colspan="27" |{{smalldiv|1=<sup>'''1'''</sup> According to x files of the state, the number of the Romani was reduced by 25,000 in 1956.<ref name="NUMBER OF ROMA">{{cite book|last1=Ilieva|first1=Nadezhda|url=https://geoproblems.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2012_34/5_ilieva.pdf|title=NUMBER OF ROMA ETHNIC GROUP IN BULGARIA FROM THE LIBERATION TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY (BASED ON REGULAR CENSUSES) (Part 1)|date=2012|location=Bulgarian Academy of Sciences|pages=74–75}}</ref>

<sup>'''2'''</sup> In the 1946 and the 1956 census, the population of Pirin Macedonia was forced to list as ethnic Macedonians by the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria|Communist government]] in preparation of a planned federation between the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria]] and [[Socialist Yugoslavia]], with "United Macedonia" as the connecting piece. The deal fell through, and the policy was eventually reversed in 1958.<ref name="Rotschild">{{cite book | last=v | first=Joseph | title=The Communist Party of Bulgaria; Origins and Development, 1883–1936 | publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] | page=126 }}</ref><ref name="Cook">{{cite book | last=A. Cook | first=Bernard | title=Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia | publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] | year=2001 | page=810 | isbn=978-0-8153-4058-4 }}</ref>

<sup>'''3'''</sup> Note that the distinction between [[Sarakatsani]] and Greeks, and between Vlachs and both Aromanians and Romanians, is fluid. Sarakatsani were counted as Greeks in the 1900, 1920, 1926, 1934, and 1965 censuses.}}
|}
[[File:Bulgaria ethnic map.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|Ethnic structure of the entire population (7,364,570) by most detailed cadastral division according to the 2011 census]]
[[File:2011_Ethnic_Map_at_Settlement_Level.png|thumb|right|upright=3.0|Settlement Level Ethnic Map of Bulgaria Based on the 2011 Census]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Population of Bulgaria according to ethnic group 1965-2001'''
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! rowspan="2" |Ethnic group
! colspan="2" |  census 1965
! colspan="2" | census 1975
! colspan="2" | census 1985<sup>1</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1992<ref name="EU">{{cite web|title=6.1 European population committee (The demographic characteristics of the main ethnic/national minorities in Bulgaria)|url=https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=429995&Site=COE|publisher=Council of Europe}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | census 2001<ref>{{cite web|date=1 March 2001|title=НАСЕЛЕНИЕ КЪМ 1 March 2001 Г. ПО ОБЛАСТИ И ЕТНИЧЕСКА ГРУПА (Inhabitants as at 1 March 2001 by province and ethnic group)|url=https://www.nsi.bg/Census/Ethnos.htm|website=Nsi.bg}}</ref>
|-
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
! style="width:50pt;"|Number
! style="width:15pt;"|%
|-
|style="width:160pt;"|[[Bulgarians]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,231,243
| style="text-align:right;"| 87.9
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|blue|7,930,024}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 90.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,271,185
| style="text-align:right;"| 85.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,655,210
| style="text-align:right;"| 83.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Bulgarian Turks|Turks]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 780,928
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 730,728
| style="text-align:right;"| 8.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 800,052
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 746,664
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Romani people in Bulgaria|Roma]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 148,874<sup>'''2'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,323<sup>'''2'''</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 313,396
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 370,908
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Armenians in Bulgaria|Armenians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 20,282
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,526
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,677
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,832
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Russians in Bulgaria|Russians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,815
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 17,139
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 15,595
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Vlachs"{{small|([[Aromanians in Bulgaria|Aromanians]] and [[Romanians in Bulgaria|Romanians]])}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,159
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,566
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Sarakatsani]]<sup>'''3'''</sup>
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,144
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,107
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
| [[Ukrainians]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,864
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,489
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria|Macedonians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,632
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,803
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,071
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
|[[Greeks in Bulgaria|Greeks]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,241
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,930
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,408
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
|[[Jews]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,108
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,076
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,461
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,363
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
|[[Romanians]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,491
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,088
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
| [[Tatars]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,430
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,963
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,515
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,803
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
|[[Gagauz people|Gagauzes]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,478
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 540
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
|Others
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,131
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 23,542
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,342
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
|-
|Undeclared
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,481
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 62,108
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
|-
|Unshown
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
| 
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 0
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,807
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="text-align:left;"| Total
! colspan="2" |8,227,966
! colspan="2" |8,727,771
! colspan="2" |8,948,649
! colspan="2" |8,487,317
! colspan="2" |7,932,984
|-
| colspan="13" | {{smalldiv|1=<sup>'''1'''</sup>No data collected about ethnic group in 1985 census.

<sup>'''2'''</sup> There are strong indications that the number of ethnic Romani in the 1965 and 1975 census was manipulated.

<sup>'''3'''</sup> Note that the distinction between [[Sarakatsani]] and Greeks, and between Vlachs and both Aromanians and Romanians, is fluid. Sarakatsani were counted as Greeks in the 1900, 1920, 1926, 1934, and 1965 censuses.}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Population of Bulgaria according to ethnic group 2011-2021'''
! rowspan="2" |Ethnic group
! colspan="3" |census 2011<ref name="1900-2011" />
! colspan="3" |census 2021<ref name="Infostat">{{cite web | title=Population by Ethnic Group, Statistical Regions, Districts and Municipalities as of 07/09/2021|author=National Statistical Institute|year=2022|language=en|url=https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=2025}}</ref><ref name="NSI3">{{cite web | title=Ethno-Cultural Characteristics of the Bulgarian Population as at 7 September 2021|author=National Statistical Institute|date=24 November 2022|language=bg|url=https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! style="width:35pt;"|Number
! style="width:6pt;"|%
! style="width:6pt;"|{{font color|red|(%)<sup>1</sup>}}
! style="width:35pt;"|Number
! style="width:6pt;"|%
! style="width:6pt;"|{{font color|red|(%)<sup>1</sup>}}
|-
| style="width:160pt;"|[[Bulgarians]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,664,624
| style="text-align:right;"| 76.92
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(85.47)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,118,494
| style="text-align:right;"|78.51
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(85.70)}}
|-
|[[Bulgarian Turks|Turks]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"| 588,318
| style="text-align:right;"|7.99
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(8.88)}}
| style="text-align:right;"|508,378
| style="text-align:right;"|7.80
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(8.51)}}
|-
|[[Romani people in Bulgaria|Roma]]<ref name="1900-2011" />
| style="text-align:right;"|325,343
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.42
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(4.91)}}
| style="text-align:right;"|266,720
| style="text-align:right;"|4.09
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(4.47)}}
|-
|[[Russians in Bulgaria|Russians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,978
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.14
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.15)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,218
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.22
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.24)}}
|-
|[[Armenians in Bulgaria|Armenians]]
| style="text-align:right;"|6,552
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.09
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.10)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,306
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.08
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.09)}}
|-
|"Vlachs"
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,684
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.05
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.06)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,643
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.03
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.03)}}
|-
|[[Sarakatsani]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,556
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.03
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.04)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,071
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.03
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.03)}}
|-
|[[Ukrainians]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,789
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.03)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,239
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.05
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.05)}}
|-
|[[Ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria|Macedonians]]
| style="text-align:right;"|1,654
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.02)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,143
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.02)}}
|-
|[[Greeks in Bulgaria|Greeks]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,379
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.02)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,625
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.02)}}
|-
|[[Jews]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,162
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.02)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,153
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.02
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.02)}}
|-
|[[Romanians]]
| style="text-align:right;"|891
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.01
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.01)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 683
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.01
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.01)}}
|-
|[[Tatars]]
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,129
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.02)}}
|-
|[[Gagauz people|Gagauzes]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 40
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"|{{font color|red|(0.00)}}
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
|Others
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,659
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.27
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.30)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 46,796<sup>2</sup>
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.62
| style="text-align:right;"| {{font color|red|(0.78)}}
|-
|Undeclared
| style="text-align:right;"| 736,981
| style="text-align:right;"| 10.00
| style="text-align:right;"|-
| style="text-align:right;"|79,513
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.22
| style="text-align:right;"| -
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#DCDCDC;"| No return/Data borrowed<br />from administrative sources
| style="text-align:right; background:#DCDCDC;"| -
| style="text-align:right; background:#DCDCDC;"| -
| style="text-align:center; background:#DCDCDC;"|-
| style="text-align:right; background:#DCDCDC;"|467,678
| style="text-align:right; background:#DCDCDC;"| 7.1
| style="text-align:center; background:#DCDCDC;"| -
|-
! style="text-align:left;"| Total
! colspan="3" |7,364,570
! colspan="3" |6,519,789
|-
| colspan="13" |<small><sup>'''1'''</sup> Percentages in parentheses are calculated only based on the number of people who answered the ethnicity question (6,680,980 for 2011 and 6,052,111 for 2021) and do not cover people whose data has been collected from administrative databases.<br /><sup>'''2'''</sup>Includes, among other things, 2,894 Englishmen, 865 Italians, 824 Poles, etc. etc.</small>
|}
<br />
The following table shows the ethnic composition of all Provinces of Bulgaria according to the 2021 census:
{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable defaultright col1left""
|+ Ethnic Affiliation in Bulgaria by Province in 2021<ref name="Infostat"/><ref name="NSI4">{{cite web | title=Ethno-Cultural Characteristics of the Bulgarian Population as at 7 September 2021|author=National Statistical Institute|date=24 November 2022|language=bg|pages=13|url=https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:120pt;"|[[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]
! style="text-align:center; background:#FFD0C0;" colspan="2" |Bulgarian
! style="text-align:center; background:#E0F0FF;" colspan="2" |Turkish
! style="text-align:center; background:#FFD700;" colspan="2" |Romani
! style="text-align:center; background:#D8BFD8;" colspan="2" |Other
! style="text-align:center; background:#DEB887;" colspan="2" |Undeclared
! style="text-align:center; background:#808080;" colspan="2" |Unknown<sup>1, 2</sup>
! style="text-align:center" colspan="2" |Total
|-
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
! style="width:40pt;"|Number
! style="width:8pt;" |%
|-
| [[Blagoevgrad Province]] || style="background:#FFD0C0;"|236,951 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 81.9 || 14,028 || 4.8 || 12,138 || 4.2 || 11,197 || 3.8 || 3,768 || 1.3 || 13,965 || 4.8 || 292,227 || 100.0
|-
| [[Burgas Province]]  ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|280,388||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 73.7 || 47,286 || 12.4|| 14,893 || 3.9|| 5,992|| 1.6 || 5,805|| 1.5 || 25,922 || 6.8 || 380,286 || 100.0
|-
| [[Dobrich Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|109,041 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 72.6|| 18,835|| 12.5|| 10,118 || 6.8|| 2,035 || 1.4 || 1,304|| 1.3 || 8,813 || 5.9 ||150,146 || 100.0
|-
| [[Gabrovo Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|89,394 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 90.9|| 4,723 || 4.8 || 792 || 0.8|| 735 || 0.7|| 1,068|| 1.1|| 1,675 || 1.9 || 98,387 || 100.0
|-
| [[Haskovo Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|154,088||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 72.8|| 25,555|| 12.1 || 12,572|| 5.9 || 1,764 || 0.8 || 2,254 || 1.1 || 15,332|| 7.2 || 211,565 || 100.0
|-
| [[Kardzhali Province]] ||37,383|| 26.5||style="background:#E0F0FF;"|83,280||style="background:#E0F0FF;"| 59.0 || 1,354||1.0 || 2,130|| 1.5|| 4,909|| 3.5 || 12,121 || 8.6 || 141,177 || 100.0
|-
| [[Kyustendil Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|101,735||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|91.0  || 56|| 0.0 || 6,555|| 5.9 || 329|| 0.3 ||509 || 0.5 || 2,552 || 2.3 || 111,736 || 100.0
|-
| [[Lovech Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|103,484||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 88.9 || 2,789|| 2.4 || 4,999|| 4.3 || 407 ||0.3 || 2,202|| 1.9 || 2,513|| 2.2 || 116,394 || 100.0
|-
| [[Montana Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|99,539||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 83.0 || 136|| 0.1 || 13,130 || 10.9|| 381|| 0.3|| 984|| 0.8 || 5,780|| 4.8 || 119,950 || 100.0
|-
| [[Pazardzhik Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|184,677||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 80.4 || 6,782|| 3.0 || 14,320 || 6.2|| 4,686|| 2.0|| 2,189|| 1.0 || 17,160|| 7.5 || 229,814 || 100.0
|-
| [[Pernik Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|107,459||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 94.1 || 128|| 0.1|| 3,554|| 3.1|| 388|| 0.3 || 718 || 0.6 || 1,925 || 1.7 || 114,162 ||100.0
|-
| [[Pleven Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|200,197 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 88.5|| 5,367 || 2.4 || 6,999|| 3.1 || 937 || 0.4 || 1,829|| 0.8 || 10,791 || 4.8 || 226,120 || 100.0
|-
| [[Plovdiv Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|513,249 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 80.9 || 39,585 || 6.2|| 26,296 || 4.1 || 5,004 || 0.8 || 8,134|| 1.3 || 42,229|| 6.7 || 634,497 || 100.0
|-
| [[Razgrad Province]] ||38,873|| 37.7 || style="background:#E0F0FF;"|49,318||style="background:#E0F0FF;"| 47.8 || 5,806|| 5.6 || 1,957|| 1.9 || 1,915|| 1.9 || 5,363|| 5.2 || 103,223 || 100.0
|-
| [[Ruse Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|148,845||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 76.9 || 23,958|| 12.4|| 7,041|| 3.6|| 2,060|| 1.1 || 2,315|| 1.2 || 9,264|| 4.8 || 193,483 || 100.0
|-
| [[Shumen Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|81,907||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 54.1 || 44,263|| 29.2 || 11,268|| 7.4 || 2,118|| 1.4 || 1,872|| 1.2 || 10,037|| 6.6 || 151,465 || 100.0
|-
| [[Silistra Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|51,579 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 52.8 || 34,392||35.7 || 5,244 || 5.4 || 694|| 0.7 ||793 || 0.8 || 5,068 || 5.2 || 97,770 || 100.0
|-
| [[Sliven Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|115,607||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 66.9 || 13,217|| 7.7 || 23,918|| 13.9 || 1,861|| 1.1 ||1,691 || 1.0 || 16,396 || 9.5 || 172,690 || 100.0
|-
| [[Smolyan Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|86,818|| style="background:#FFD0C0;"|90.2 || 3,049|| 3.2 || 483|| 0.5|| 3,589|| 3.7 || 1,609|| 1.7 || 736|| 0.7<sup>'''3'''</sup> || 96,284 || 100.0
|-
| [[Sofia]] City ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|1,058,553||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 83.1 || 5,881|| 0.5 || 13,960|| 1.1 || 13,766|| 1.1 || 16,086 || 1.2 ||166,044 || 13.0 || 1,274,290 || 100.0
|-
| [[Sofia Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|204,662|| style="background:#FFD0C0;"|88.2|| 342|| 0.1|| 11,380|| 4.9 || 742|| 0.3|| 1,459|| 0.6 || 13,404 || 5.8 || 231,989 || 100.0
|-
| [[Stara Zagora Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|239,770||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 80.9|| 12,170|| 4.1 || 18,158 || 6.1 || 2,465|| 0.8 || 2,929|| 1.0 || 21,015 || 7.1 || 296,507 || 100.0
|-
| [[Targovishte Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|46,455 ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 47.3 || 34,279|| 34.9|| 5,980|| 6.1|| 2,828|| 2.9 || 2,091 || 2.1|| 6,061|| 6.2 || 98,144 || 100.0
|-
| [[Varna Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|352,886||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 81.6 || 25,678|| 5.9 || 9,634|| 2.2|| 7,664|| 1.8 || 6,187|| 1.4 || 30,149|| 7.0 ||  432,198 || 100.0
|-
| [[Veliko Tarnovo Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|178,491|| style="background:#FFD0C0;"|86.1 || 11,348|| 5.5|| 3,655|| 1.8|| 1,652|| 0.8 || 2,314 || 1.1 || 9,911|| 4.8 || 207,371 || 100.0
|-
| [[Vidin Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|68,143|| style="background:#FFD0C0;"|90.4 || 65|| 0.0|| 5,055|| 6.7 || 345|| 0.5|| 306 || 0.4 || 1,494|| 2.0 || 75,408 || 100.0
|-
| [[Vratsa Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|137,587||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 90.0 || 424|| 0.3 || 10,132 || 6.6|| 444|| 0.3 || 1,629|| 1.1 || 2,587|| 1.7 || 152,813 || 100.0
|-
| [[Yambol Province]] ||style="background:#FFD0C0;"|90,733||style="background:#FFD0C0;"| 82.7 || 994|| 0.9 || 7,116|| 6.5 || 836|| 0.8 || 643|| 0.6 || 9,371 || 8.5 || 109,693 || 100.0
|-
! Republic of Bulgaria||5,118,494|| 78.5 || 508,378||7.8|| 266,720|| 4.1 || 79,006|| 1.2 || 79,513 || 1.2 || 467,678|| 7.2 ||  6,519,789 || 100.0
|-
| colspan="17" |<div style="font-size:86%; line-height: 1.3em;"> {{smalldiv|1=<sup>'''1'''</sup> The category pertains to citizens whose data has been collected from administrative databases.<br /><sup>'''2'''</sup> The online stage of the 2021 Census was subjected to repeated DDoS attacks.<ref>Capital Daily: The €1.3 million online stage of the Census is facing failure due to DDoS attack. 11 September 2021, url: https://www.capital.bg/politika_i_ikonomika/bulgaria/2021/09/11/4252021_elektronnoto_prebroiavane_za_25_mln_lv_e_pred_proval/</ref> As a result, much fewer citizens than expected, especially in major urban areas, were able to take the online census, and the number of hired census assessors proved inadequate to ensure full census coverage in most major cities. Thus, the [[City of Sofia]] had a record-high number of no returns, 166,044, or 35.5% of the country total, despite being home to only 19.5% of the population.<br /><sup>'''3'''</sup> The province with most missing returns for 2011 (21.7%), [[Smolyan Province|Smolyan]], had record-high participation in 2021, with only 736 or 0.7% missing returns.<ref name="NSI4"/>}}</div>
|}

== Languages ==
{{main|Languages of Bulgaria}}
[[File:2021 Census Mother Tongue.png|left|thumb|273x273px|Municipalities by most spoken mother tongue (2021 census)]]
{{bar box
|float = left
|title = Monther Tongues of Bulgaria <br />(2021 census excl. undeclared population) <ref>https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=2023 {{Bare URL inline|date=July 2025}}</ref>
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]|DarkSlateGray|86.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]|DarkSlateGray|8.8}}
{{bar percent|[[Romani language|Romani]]|DarkSlateGray|3.9}}
{{bar percent|others|DarkSlateGray|1.1}}
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
'''Population of Bulgaria according to mother tongue 1880–1892'''
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! rowspan="2" | Mother<br />tongue
! colspan="2" | census 1880<ref>{{cite web |url=http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000007&page=10 |title=ILib - Lister |access-date=2017-02-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204085456/http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000007&page=10 |archive-date=4 February 2017}}</ref><ref>Kalionski, Alexei. Communities, Identities and Migrations in Southeast Europe Collected Articles. Anamnesis. {{ISBN|978-619-90188-4-2}}, p. 48</ref>
! colspan="2" | census 1887<ref>6.1 European population committee (CDPO) The demographic characteristics of national minorities in certain European States The demographic characteristics of the main ethnic/national minorities in Bulgaria CM(99)138 Addendum 2 (restricted) 27 October 1999</ref>
! colspan="2" | census 1892<ref>{{cite web |url=http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000116&page=28 |title=ILib - Lister |access-date=2017-02-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204165949/http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000116&page=28 |archive-date=4 February 2017}}</ref>
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|1,345,507
| style="text-align:right;"|67.0
| style="text-align:right;"|2,326,250
| style="text-align:right;"|73.7
| style="text-align:right;"|2,505,326
| style="text-align:right;"|75.7
|-
| [[Oghuz languages|Turkish/Gagauz]]
| style="text-align:right;"|527,284
| style="text-align:right;"|26.3
| style="text-align:right;"|607,331
| style="text-align:right;"|19.3
| style="text-align:right;"|569,728
| style="text-align:right;"|17.2
|-
| "[[Romanian language|Vlach]]"
| style="text-align:right;"|49,070
| style="text-align:right;"|2.4
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|62,628
| style="text-align:right;"|1.9
|-
| [[Romani language|Roma]]
| style="text-align:right;"|37,600
| style="text-align:right;"|1.9
| style="text-align:right;"|50,291
| style="text-align:right;"|1.6
| style="text-align:right;"|52,132
| style="text-align:right;"|1.6
|-
| [[Ladino language|Ladino]]
| style="text-align:right;"|14,020
| style="text-align:right;"|0.7
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|27,531
| style="text-align:right;"|0.8
|-
| [[Tatar language|Tatar]]
| style="text-align:right;"|12,376
| style="text-align:right;"|0.6
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|16,290
| style="text-align:right;"|0.5
|-
| [[Greek language|Greek]]
| style="text-align:right;"|11,152
| style="text-align:right;"|0.6
| style="text-align:right;"|58,326
| style="text-align:right;"|1.8
| style="text-align:right;"|58,518
| style="text-align:right;"|1.8
|-
| [[Armenian language|Armenian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|3,837
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|6,445
| style="text-align:right;"|0.2
|-
| [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|1,894
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Serbian language|Serbian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|818
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[German language|German]]/[[Yiddish language|Yiddish]]
| style="text-align:right;"|1,280
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[German language|German]]
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|3,620
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Russian language|Russian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|1,123
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|928
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Albanian language|Albanian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|530
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|515
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|803
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|220
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| style="text-align:right;"|174
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[French language|French]]
| style="text-align:right;"|164
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|356
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Arabic]]
| style="text-align:right;"|97
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Polish language|Polish]]
| style="text-align:right;"|92
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| style="text-align:right;"|64
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Circassian language|Circassian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|63
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Persian language|Persian]]
| style="text-align:right;"|58
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| Others
| style="text-align:right;"|402
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|4,425
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| Unknown
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|1,165
| style="text-align:right;"|
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="text-align:left;"| Total
! colspan="2" | 2,007,919
! colspan="2" | 3 154 375
! colspan="2" | 3,310,713
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="text-align:left;"| Territory (km<sup>2</sup>)
! colspan="2" | 63,752
! colspan="2" | 95,223
! colspan="2" | 95,223
|}
The 2001 census defines an ethnic group as a "community of people, related to each other by origin and language, and close to each other by mode of life and culture"; and one's mother tongue as "the language a person speaks best and usually uses for communication in the family (household)".<ref name="culturalpolicies.net">{{cite web |author=Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe |title=Population by ethnic group and mother tongue, 2001 |url=http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/bulgaria.php?aid=421 |access-date=2 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923211849/http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/bulgaria.php?aid=421 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
According to the 2011 census, among the Bulgarians 99.4% indicate Bulgarian as a mother tongue, 0.3% - Turkish/Balkan gagauz, 0.1% - Roma and 0.1% others; among Turks 96.6% have pointed the Turkish/Balkan Gagauz as a mother tongue and 3.2% - Bulgarian; among the Roma 85% indicate Roma language as a mother tongue, 7.5% - Bulgarian, 6.7% - Turkish/Balkan gagauz and 0.6% - Romanian.

== Religion ==
{{Main|Religion in Bulgaria}}

Bulgaria's traditional religion according to the constitution is the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]], while Bulgaria is a [[secular state]] too. Since the last two censuses (2001 and 2011) provide widely divergent results, they are both shown in the table below. It is noteworthy that over a fifth of the population chose not to respond to this question in the 2011 census.
[[File:Bulgaria_religous_map_by_municipalities.png|thumb|upright=1.7|right|Religious structure of Bulgaria according to the 2011 census.]]
[[File:Distribution of Muslims in Bulgaria per Province.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|right|Muslim areas in Bulgaria according to the 2001 census]]
{| style="border="0"
|-
| style="width:120px;"|
| style="width:100px;"|
| style="width:250px;"|
|-
|
| '''2001'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsi.bg/Census/Religion.htm |title=НАСЕЛЕНИЕ КЪМ 01.03.2001 Г. ПО ОБЛАСТИ И ВЕРОИЗПОВЕДАНИЕ |trans-title=POPULATION AS OF 01.03.2001 BY DISTRICT AND RELIGION |access-date=2010-10-06 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100907235917/http://www.nsi.bg/Census/Religion.htm}}</ref>
| '''2011'''<ref name=Census2011final /><ref>{{cite web|title=Население по местоживеене, възраст и вероизповедание |trans-title=Population by place of residence, age and religion |url=http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R10.aspx |access-date=17 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128054930/http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R10.aspx |archive-date=28 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Orthodox Christian
| 82.6%
| 59.4%
|-
| Muslim
| 12.2%
| 7.8% ''(7.4% Sunni; 0.4% Shia)''
|-
| Catholic
| 0.6%
| 0.7%
|-
| Protestant
| 0.5%
| 0.9%
|-
| ''Other''
| 0.2%
| 0.15%
|-
| ''None''
| 3.9%
| 9.3%
|-
| ''No response''
| -
| ''21.8%''
|}

The results of the Bulgarian 2011 Census, in which the indication of answer regarding the question for confession was optional, are as follows:<ref>{{cite web|title=Население по местоживеене, възраст и вероизповедание |year=2011|website=Censusresults.nsi.bg|url= http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R10.aspx |access-date=2016-04-11|language=bg}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Group
! Population
! % of declared
! % of total
|-
| [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]] || 4,374,135 || 76.0% || 59.4%
|-
| Undeclared || 1,606,269 || - || 21.8%
|-
| [[Irreligion]] || 682,162 || 11.8% || 9.3%
|-
| [[Islam in Bulgaria|Islam]] || 577,139 || 10.0% || 7.8%
|-
| [[Protestantism in Bulgaria|Protestantism]] || 64,476 || 1.1% || 0.9%
|-
| [[Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria|Roman Catholicism]] || 48,945 || 0.8% || 0.7%
|-
| [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] || 1,715 || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| Jews || 706|| 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| Others || 9,023|| 0.2% || 0.1%
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
|| Figure of percentage || style="background:lightgrey;"| - || style="background:lightgrey;"| 5,758,301 || style="background:lightgrey;"| 7,364,570
|}
[[File:Pomaks map.png|thumb|upright=1.7|right|Municipalities where the prevalence is [[Pomaks|Bulgarian Muslim]] according to the 2001 census]]
The results of the Bulgarian 2001 Census by ethnic groups, the latest census in which the indication of identification (whether by confession or as irreligious) in the question for confession was obligatory, are as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nccedi.government.bg/page.php?category=92&id=247 |title=Етнически малцинствени общности |trans-title=Ethnic minority communities |website=Nccedi.government.bg |access-date=2017-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824222635/http://www.nccedi.government.bg/page.php?category=92&id=247}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsi.bg/Census/StrReligion.htm |title=Структура на населението по вероизповедание |trans-title=Structure of the population by confession |website=Nccedi.government.bg |access-date=2017-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225163107/http://www.nsi.bg/Census/StrReligion.htm}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic groups<br />by confession
! colspan="2" | Total
! colspan="2" | Bulgarians
! colspan="2" | [[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]]
! colspan="2" | [[Roma in Bulgaria|Roma]]
! colspan="2" | Others
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,552,751
| style="text-align:right;"| 82.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,315,938
| style="text-align:right;"| 94.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,425
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 180,326
| style="text-align:right;"| 48.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 51,062
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Islam in Bulgaria|Islam]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 966,978
| style="text-align:right;"| 12.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 131,531
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 713,024
| style="text-align:right;"| 95.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 103,436
| style="text-align:right;"| 27.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,987
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Irreligion]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 308,116
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 151,008
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 23,146
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 59,669
| style="text-align:right;"| 16.1
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria|Roman Catholicism]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,811
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,811
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,561
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Protestantism in Bulgaria|Protestantism]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,308
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,591
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,066
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,651
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,000
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| Others
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,937
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,331
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 442
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| Total population
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,928,901
| style="text-align:right;"| 100.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,655,210
| style="text-align:right;"| 100.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 746,664
| style="text-align:right;"| 100.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 370,908
| style="text-align:right;"| 100.0
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 100.0
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Bulgaria according to religion 1900 - 2021
! rowspan="2" |Religion
! colspan="2" |census 1900
! colspan="2" |census 1910
! colspan="2" |census 1920
! colspan="2" |census 1926
! colspan="2" |census 1934
! colspan="2" |census 1992
! colspan="2" |census 2001
! colspan="2" |census 2011
! colspan="2" |census 2021
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,019,999
| style="text-align:right;"| 80.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,643,918
| style="text-align:right;"| 84.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,062,097
| style="text-align:right;"| 83.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,569,074
| style="text-align:right;"| 83.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,128,890
| style="text-align:right;"| 84.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,274,592
| style="text-align:right;"| 85.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,552,751
| style="text-align:right;"| 82.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,374,135
| style="text-align:right;"| 59.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,091,780
| style="text-align:right;"| 62.8
|-
|[[Islam in Bulgaria|Islam]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 643,300
| style="text-align:right;"| 17.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 602,078
| style="text-align:right;"| 13.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 690,734
| style="text-align:right;"| 14.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 789,296
| style="text-align:right;"| 14.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 821,298
| style="text-align:right;"| 13.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,110,295
| style="text-align:right;"| 13.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 966,978
| style="text-align:right;"| 12.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 577,139
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 638,708
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.8
|-
|[[Protestantism in Bulgaria|Protestantism]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,524
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,335
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,617
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,735
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,371
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,878
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,308
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 64,476
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 69,852
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.1
|-
|[[Catholic Church in Bulgaria|Roman Catholicism]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,569
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,150
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,072
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 40,347
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 45,704
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 53,074
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,811
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 48,945
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 38,709
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.6
|-
|Jews
| style="text-align:right;"| 33,663
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 40,067
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,232
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 46,431
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 48,398
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,580
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 706
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,736
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|-
|[[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,809
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,259
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,848
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,402
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 23,476
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,672
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,715
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,002
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
|Others
| style="text-align:right;"| 326
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,937
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,023
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,451
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.1
|-
|Irreligion
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 272,264
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 305,102
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.7
|-
|Undeclared
| style="text-align:right;"| 93
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 308,116
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,015,258
| style="text-align:right;"| 27.4
| style="text-align:right;"| 731,841
| style="text-align:right;"| 11.2
|-
|Borrowed from adm. sources
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| 616,681
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.5
|-
!Total
! colspan="2" |3,744,283
! colspan="2" |4,337,513
! colspan="2" |4,846,971
! colspan="2" |5,478,741
! colspan="2" |6,077,939
! colspan="2" |8,487,317
! colspan="2" |7,928,901
! colspan="2" |7,364,570
! colspan="2" |6,519,789
|}

==Migration==
{{main|Immigration to Bulgaria}}

===Historical migration===
The first censuses of the [[Principality of Bulgaria]] and the autonomous province of [[Eastern Rumelia]] in 1880 recorded 31,786 and 17,970 Bulgarian refugees from [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]] and [[Adrianople Vilayet|Ottoman Thrace]], respectively, who accounted for 1.38% of the population of the Principality an 2.20% of the population of the autonomous province, respectively.<ref name="1881 Census">{{Citation|title=Общи резултати от преброяването на населението на 1 януарий 1881 г.|trans-title=General Results of the Census of the Population of 1 January 1881|url=https://www.nsi.bg/statlib/bg/lister.php?iid=DO-010000007&page=16|pages=16–17|publisher=National Statistical Institute|language=bg}}</ref><ref name="Balev">{{cite web | first1=Ivan| last1=Balev |url=https://www.nsi.bg/spisaniestatistika/page/download.php?articleID=78 | trans-title=Unrecognised Censuses in the History of Bulgarian Statistics|title=НЕПРИЗНАТИТЕ" ПРЕБРОЯВАНИЯ В ИСТОРИЯТА НА БЪЛГАРСКАТА СТАТИСТИКА | language=bg | date=2017 | pages=10–11}}</ref><ref name="Thrace">{{Cite book| title=Сборник Тракия, т. 1|trans-title=Collection Thrace |volume=I| url=https://macedonia.kroraina.com/tr/1/trakij_1_2001_4.htm |date=2001|pages=51|publisher=Thracian Scientific Institute, [[Haskovo]] Branch|language=bg}}</ref> The census of the Principality also counted a total of 37,635 people, or 1.88% of the population, born in a country other than the [[Ottoman Empire]], mostly Bulgarians from [[Bulgarians in Romania|Romania]], [[Northern Dobruja]] and [[Bessarabian Bulgarians|Bessarabia]].<ref name="1881 Census"/> By 1887, when the first joint census of the Principality and the autonomous province was conducted following their peaceful [[Bulgarian unification|unification]] in 1885, the number of the refugees from the Ottoman Empire had grown to 54,462 people, or 1.73% of the population, while the rest of the foreign-born population had fallen to 31,637 people, 9,831 of whom born in the [[Russian Empire]], 11,843 in [[Romania]], 2,690 in [[Serbia]] and 7,273 elsewhere.<ref name="1887 Census">{{Citation|title=Общи резултати от преброяването на населението на 1 януарий 1887 г.|trans-title=General Results of the Census of the Population of 1 January 1888|date=1890|url=https://www.nsi.bg/statlib/bg/lister.php?iid=DO-010000078&page=16|pages=16–17|publisher=National Statistical Institute|language=bg}}</ref>

According to the 1910 census, 300,000 or almost 10% of the ethnic Bulgarians were born in another Bulgarian municipality than the one they were enumerated in. The same data shows that the foreign-born ethnic Bulgarians numbered 78,000, or 2% of them, most numerous of whom were the 61,000 [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]-born, 9,000 Romanian-born and by less than 2,000 [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]], Serbian and Russian-born.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000566&page=62|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206185503/http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/en/lister.php?iid=DO-010000566&page=62|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 February 2017|title=iLib - Lister|date=6 February 2017|access-date=15 October 2017}}</ref> By the 1926 census, there had been 253,000 refugees with granted households and land or citizenship but with many more in towns of uncertain number. 35% came from [[Eastern Thrace]], 30% came from [[Macedonia (Greece)|Greek Macedonia]], another 18% from [[Western Thrace]], 8% from [[Dobruja]], 4% from the [[Western Outlands]], 3% from [[Asia Minor]], and 2% from [[North Macedonia]]. They constituted 6% of the country's population. In 1940, 70,000 Bulgarians [[Population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania|were exchanged]] from [[Northern Dobruja]]. The total number of refugees in 1878-1940 is estimated at between 700,000 and 1,200,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docplayer.net/35763499-Communities-identities-and-migrations-in-southeast-europe.html|title=Communities, Identities and Migrations in Southeast Europe - PDF|website=docplayer.net|access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref> [[Exodus of Turks from Bulgaria (1950-1951)|In 1950-1951, around 150,000 Turks left Bulgaria]] for Turkey, and [[Big Excursion|again in 1989]].

<gallery widths=180>
Bulgarian internal migration 1910.png|Percentage of Bulgarians born in a different municipality of Bulgaria calculated from the total of the ethnic Bulgarians in 1910
Bulgarian refugees 1910.png|Percentage of foreign-born Bulgarians calculated from the total of the ethnic Bulgarians in 1910
Macedonian Bulgarian refugees.png|Percentage of Bulgarians born in Greek Macedonia and North Macedonia in 1946 calculated from the total of the ethnic Bulgarians
Thracian Bulgarian refugees.png|Part of the Bulgarians born in [[East Thrace]], [[West Thrace]] and [[Asia Minor]] in 1946 calculated from the total of the ethnic Bulgarians
Danubian Bulgarian refugees.png|Part of the Bulgarians born in [[Northern Dobruja]], [[Romania]] and [[Serbia]] in 1946 calculated from the total of the ethnic Bulgarians
Bulgarian refugees.png|Foreign born as a part of the ethnic Bulgarians in 1946
</gallery>

===Current  migration===
According to the 2011 census [[Russia]]n citizens are the most numerous foreigners - 11 991, followed by 8 444 EU citizens (UK- 2 605, Greece - 1 253, Germany- 848, Poland - 819 and Italy - 456), citizens of [[Ukraine]] - 3 064, [[North Macedonia]] - 1 091, [[Moldova]] - 893 and [[Serbia]] - 569. 22.8% of them are from Asia, mostly from Turkey. Those with dual Bulgarian and other citizenship were 22 152, or 0.3% of the population. Of them persons with Bulgarian and Russian citizenship were 5 257 (23.7%), followed by persons with Bulgarian and Turkish citizenship - 4 282 (19.3%), Bulgarian and citizenship of the USA- 1 725 (7.8%). There are at least 17,527 [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War]] with applications in Bulgaria. In 2001-2015 185,447 people applied for Bulgarian citizenship and 116,222 were provided with. 113,647 were granted on grounds of proven Bulgarian ancestry, including 59,968 North Macedonia citizens. 29,218 were [[Moldova]]n citizens, 5930 Ukrainians, 5374 Serbians, 5194 Russians, 3840 Israeli, 2192 Albanians, 692 Turks and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dariknews.bg/regioni/blagoevgrad/59-968-makedonci-dokazali-bylgarski-proizhod-1452177|title=59 968 македонци доказали български произход - Благоевград |website=DarikNews.bg|date=11 June 2015 |access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref> In 2016, 12,880 foreigners were naturalized, including 6196 Macedonians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Президент на Република България|url=https://www.president.bg/cat107/Godishni-dokladi-grajdanstvo/|website=President.bg|access-date=2017-08-24}}</ref>

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+Permanent foreign residents in Bulgaria by broad geographic region of origin in 2011 and 2021<ref name=Sloppy>{{Cite web |title=Population with foreign citizenship by country |url=https://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R11.aspx}}</ref><ref name=auto/>
! rowspan="2" |Nationality
! colspan="2" |2011
! colspan="2" |2021
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
!{{Flagicon|Bulgaria}} Bulgarians
!7,327,847
!99.50%
!6,459,248
!99.07%
|-
!Foreigners
!36,723
!0.50%
!60,541
!0.93%
|-
|{{Flagicon|European Union}} EU-27
|8,444
|0.11%
|10,549
|0.16%
|-
|Other European
|18,413
|0.15%
|35,901
|0.55%
|-
|Africa
|429
|0.01%
|940
|0.01%
|-
|Central and South America
|338
|0.00%
|518
|0.01%
|-
|North America
|588
|0.01%
|776
|0.01%
|-
|Asia
|8,403
|0.11%
|10,466
|0.16%
|-
|Oceania
|62
|0.00%
|88
|0.00%
|-
|Stateless
|46
|0.00%
|1,303
|0.02%
|-
!Total
! colspan="2" |7,364,570
! colspan="2" |6,519,789
|-
|}</div>
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+Ten most common resident nationalities in 2011 and 2021<ref name=Sloppy/><ref name=auto/>
! rowspan="2" |Nationality
! colspan="2" |2011
! colspan="2" |2021
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|{{flag|Russian Federation}}
| style="text-align:right;"|11,911
| style="text-align:right;"|32.84%
| style="text-align:right;"|17,465
| style="text-align:right;"|28.85%
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}
| style="text-align:right;"|3,064
| style="text-align:right;"|8.45%
| style="text-align:right;"|6,163
| style="text-align:right;"|10.18%
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,741
| style="text-align:right;"|7.56%
| style="text-align:right;"|3,017
| style="text-align:right;"|4.99%
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,605
| style="text-align:right;"|7.09%
| style="text-align:right;"|4,484
| style="text-align:right;"|7.41%
|-
|{{flag|Greece}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,253
| style="text-align:right;"|3.41%
| style="text-align:right;"|1,631
| style="text-align:right;"|2.69%
|-
|{{flag|Armenia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,167
| style="text-align:right;"|3.22%
| style="text-align:right;"|1,048
| style="text-align:right;"|1.73%
|-
|{{flag|North Macedonia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,091
| style="text-align:right;"|3.01%
| style="text-align:right;"|1,576
| style="text-align:right;"|2.60%
|-
|{{flag|Germany}}
| style="text-align:right;"|848
| style="text-align:right;"|2.31%
| style="text-align:right;"|1,797
| style="text-align:right;"|2.97%
|-
|{{flag|China}}
| style="text-align:right;"|749
| style="text-align:right;"|2.04%
| style="text-align:right;"|1,683
| style="text-align:right;"|2.78%
|-
|{{flag|Syria}}
| style="text-align:right;"|729
| style="text-align:right;"|2.00%
| style="text-align:right;"|2,615
| style="text-align:right;"|4.32%
|-
! Total
! colspan="2" |36,723
! colspan="2" |60,541
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Detailed population by country of birth
! rowspan="2" |Country of birth
! colspan="2" |2011
! colspan="2" |2024<ref name=":1" />
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
!European
!7,347,865
!99.8
!6,389,201
!99.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Bulgaria}} '''Bulgarian'''
|'''7,285,927'''
|'''98.9'''
|'''6,232,331'''
|'''96.7'''
|-
|{{Flag icon|Russia}} Russian
|18,725
|0.2
|32,951
|0.5
|-
|{{Flag icon|Ukraine}} Ukrainian
|5,877
|0.1
|23,519
|0.4
|-
|{{Flag icon|Germany}} German
|2,083
|0.0
|17,342
|0.3
|-
|{{Flag icon|United Kingdom}} British
|3,042
|0.0
|12,409
|0.2
|-
|{{Flag icon|Greece}} Greek
|4,931
|0.1
|10,705
|0.2
|-
|{{Flag icon|Spain}} Spanish
|1,562
|0.0
|7,278
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Italy}} Italian
|1,083
|0.0
|6,350
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|North Macedonia}} Macedonian
|2,427
|0.0
|5,691
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Moldova}} Moldovan
|1,893
|0.0
|4,530
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Romania}} Romanian
|6,046
|0.1
|3,794
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Serbia}} Serbian
|2,306
|0.0
|3,613
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|France}} French
|562
|0.0
|3,569
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|Belgium}} Belgian
|410
|0.0
|2,802
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Czech Republic}} Czech
|924
|0.0
|1,863
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Armenia}} Armenian
|1,472
|0.0
|1,814
|0.0
|-
|Other
|8,595
|0.1
|18,640
|0.3
|-
!Asian
!9,394
!0.1
!29,563
!0.5
|-
|{{Flag icon|Turkey}} Turkish
|3,957
|0.1
|17,562
|0.3
|-
|{{Flag icon|Kazakhstan}} Kazakh
|970
|0.0
|2,845
|0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|China}} Chinese
|860
|0.0
|1,715
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Uzbekistan}} Uzbek
|683
|0.0
|1,471
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|India}} Indian
|151
|0.0
|993
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Afghanistan}} Afghan
|298
|0.0
|927
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Vietnam}} Vietnamese
|624
|0.0
|718
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Iran}} Iranian
|263
|0.0
|682
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Pakistan}} Pakistani
|41
|0.0
|297
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Tajikistan}} Tajik
|120
|0.0
|200
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Bangladesh}} Bengali
|629
|0.0
|117
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Nepal}} Nepali
|5
|0.0
|44
|0.0
|-
|Other
|793
|0.0
|1,992
|0.0
|-
!Arabian
!3,825
!0.1
!17,107
!0.3
|-
|{{Flag icon|Syria}} Syrian
|1,250
|0.0
|12,249
|0.2
|-
|{{Flag icon|Iraq}} Iraqi
|666
|0.0
|1,009
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Lebanon}} Lebanese
|618
|0.0
|1,118
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Algeria}} Algerian
|385
|0.0
|211
|0.0
|-
|Other
|906
|0.0
|2,520
|0.0
|-
!African
!1,061
!0.0
!1,955
!0.0
|-
|Sub-Saharan
|624
|0.0
|1,383
|0.0
|-
|Caribbean
|437
|0.0
|572
|0.0
|-
!Latin American
!434
!0.0
!1,100
!0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Brazil}} Brazilian
|91
|0.0
|291
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Argentina}} Argentinian
|118
|0.0
|164
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Mexico}} Mexican
|25
|0.0
|134
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Colombia}} Colombian
|23
|0.0
|116
|0.0
|-
|Other
|177
|0.0
|395
|0.0
|-
!Other
!1,903
!0.0
!5,181
!0.1
|-
|{{Flag icon|USA}} American
|1,182
|0.0
|3,279
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Israel}} Israeli
|337
|0.0
|929
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Canada}} Canadian
|242
|0.0
|747
|0.0
|-
|{{Flag icon|Australia}} Australian
|142
|0.0
|226
|0.0
|-
!Unknown
!144
!0.0
!1,311
!0.0
|-
|Unknown
|144
|0.0
|1,311
|0.0
|-
!Total
! colspan="2" |7,364,000
! colspan="2" |6,445,000
|}
</div>

Population by country of birth:<ref>Perspectives migrations internationales 2016 et Eurostat.</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!
!2011
!2013
!2015
!2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://countryeconomy.com/demography/migration/immigration/bulgaria|title = Bulgaria - International immigration 2019}}</ref>
!2023
!2024<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop6ctb__custom_18000830/default/table|title = Bulgaria - Population on 1 January by sex, country of birth and group of citizenship}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Bulgaria}}
| style="text-align:right;"|7,290,666
| style="text-align:right;"|7,188,273
| style="text-align:right;"|7,077,389
| style="text-align:right;"|6,951,482
| style="text-align:right;"|6,277,700
| style="text-align:right;"|6,232,331  
|-
|Total foreign-born
| style="text-align:right;"|78,621
| style="text-align:right;"|96,113
| style="text-align:right;"|123,803
| style="text-align:right;"|168,516
| style="text-align:right;"|168,595
| style="text-align:right;"|211,839
|-
|{{flag|Russia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|18,725
| style="text-align:right;"|19,533
| style="text-align:right;"|24,416
| style="text-align:right;"|31,679
| style="text-align:right;"|28,498
| style="text-align:right;"|32,951
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}
| style="text-align:right;"|5,877
| style="text-align:right;"|6,084
| style="text-align:right;"|7,039
| style="text-align:right;"|10,115
| style="text-align:right;"|13,638
| style="text-align:right;"|23,519
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}}
| style="text-align:right;"|3,955
| style="text-align:right;"|6,227
| style="text-align:right;"|9,284
| style="text-align:right;"|11,702
| style="text-align:right;"|11,259
| style="text-align:right;"|17,562
|-
|{{flag|UK}}
| style="text-align:right;"|3,042
| style="text-align:right;"|5,066
| style="text-align:right;"|6,738
| style="text-align:right;"|9,992
| style="text-align:right;"|11,307
| style="text-align:right;"|12,409
|-
|{{flag|Syria}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,250
| style="text-align:right;"|1,298
| style="text-align:right;"|8,318
| style="text-align:right;"|14,080
| style="text-align:right;"|7,546
| style="text-align:right;"|12,249
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Greece}}
| style="text-align:right;"|4,928
| style="text-align:right;"|7,377
| style="text-align:right;"|7,166
| style="text-align:right;"|8,563
| style="text-align:right;"|9,959
| style="text-align:right;"|10,705
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Germany}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,083
| style="text-align:right;"|3,638
| style="text-align:right;"|5,533
| style="text-align:right;"|9,334
| style="text-align:right;"|13,533
| style="text-align:right;"|9,334
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Spain}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,558
| style="text-align:right;"|4,065
| style="text-align:right;"|5,240
| style="text-align:right;"|7,098
| style="text-align:right;"|6,675
| style="text-align:right;"|7,278
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Italy}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,082
| style="text-align:right;"|2,261
| style="text-align:right;"|2,830
| style="text-align:right;"|3,790
| style="text-align:right;"|5,518
| style="text-align:right;"|6,350
|-
|{{flag|North Macedonia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,426
| style="text-align:right;"|2,384
| style="text-align:right;"|2,742
| style="text-align:right;"|3,595
| style="text-align:right;"|5,104
| style="text-align:right;"|5,691
|-
|{{flag|Moldova}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,893
| style="text-align:right;"|1,996
| style="text-align:right;"|2,363
| style="text-align:right;"|2,990
| style="text-align:right;"|3,905
| style="text-align:right;"|4,530
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Romania}}
| style="text-align:right;"|6,045
| style="text-align:right;"|5,380
| style="text-align:right;"|4,612
| style="text-align:right;"|4,556
| style="text-align:right;"|3,870
| style="text-align:right;"|3,794
|-
|{{flag|Serbia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,306
| style="text-align:right;"|2,246
| style="text-align:right;"|2,318
| style="text-align:right;"|2,879
| style="text-align:right;"|3,075
| style="text-align:right;"|3,613
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|France}}
| style="text-align:right;"|562
| style="text-align:right;"|1,255
| style="text-align:right;"|1,781
| style="text-align:right;"|2,614
| style="text-align:right;"|2,881
| style="text-align:right;"|3,569
|-
|{{flag|USA}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,180
| style="text-align:right;"|2,023
| style="text-align:right;"|2,431
| style="text-align:right;"|3,153
| style="text-align:right;"|2,905
| style="text-align:right;"|3,279
|-
|}
Foreigners by nationality:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!2011
!2015
|-
|Total
| style="text-align:right;"|36,723
| style="text-align:right;"|65,622
|-
|{{flag|Russia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|11,991
| style="text-align:right;"|17,943
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,741
| style="text-align:right;"|8,157
|-
|{{flag|Syria}}
| style="text-align:right;"|729
| style="text-align:right;"|7,508
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine}}
| style="text-align:right;"|3,064
| style="text-align:right;"|3,874
|-
|{{flag|UK}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,605
| style="text-align:right;"|3,693
|-
|Unknown
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|2,538
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Greece}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,253
| style="text-align:right;"|2,094
|-
|Stateless
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|1,875
|-
|{{flag|North Macedonia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,091
| style="text-align:right;"|1,289
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Germany}}
| style="text-align:right;"|848
| style="text-align:right;"|1,266
|-
|{{flag|Armenia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,167
| style="text-align:right;"|1,175
|-
|{{flag|China}}
| style="text-align:right;"|749
| style="text-align:right;"|1,147
|-
|{{flag|Moldova}}
| style="text-align:right;"|893
| style="text-align:right;"|1,018
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Poland}}
| style="text-align:right;"|819
| style="text-align:right;"|978
|-
|{{flag|USA}}
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|876
|-
|{{flagicon|EU}}{{flag|Italy}}
| style="text-align:right;"|456
| style="text-align:right;"|815
|-
|{{flag|Serbia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|569
| style="text-align:right;"|813
|-
|{{flag|Iraq}}
| style="text-align:right;"|706
| style="text-align:right;"|806
|-
|{{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|712
|}

===Net Migration===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Bulgaria Net Migration, 2007–present
! Year !! Immigrants !! Emigrants !! Net Migration
|-
| 2007 || 1,561 || 2,958 || -1,397
|-
| 2008 || 1,236 || 2,112 || -876
|-
| 2009 || 3,310 || 19,039 || -15,729
|-
| 2010 || 3,518 || 27,708 || -24,190
|-
| 2011 || 4,722 || 9,517 || -4,795
|-
| 2012 || 14,103 || 16,615 || -2,512
|-
| 2013 || 18,570 || 19,678 || -1,108
|-
| 2014 || 26,615 || 28,727 || -2,112
|-
| 2015 || 25,223 || 29,470 || -4,247
|-
| 2016 || 21,241 || 30,570 || -9,329
|-
| 2017 || 25,597 || 31,586 || -5,999
|-
| 2018 || 29,559 || 33,225 || -3,666
|-
| 2019 || 37,929 || 39,941 || -2,012
|-
| 2020 || 37,364 || 6,649 || 30,715
|-
| 2021 || 39,461 || 26,755 || 12,706
|-
| 2022 || 40,619 || 13,175 || 27,444
|-
| 2023 || 56,807 || 15,227 || 41,580
|-
| 2024 || 52,189 || 13,002 || 39,002
|}
<ref>Data extracted from Bulgaria Statistics. Retrieved from [Bulgaria Statistics website](http://www.bulgariastatistics.bg) on July 12, 2024.</ref>

== Age structure ==
:0–14 years: {{decrease}} 13.2%
:15–65 years: {{increase}} 68.3%
:65 years and over: {{negative increase}} 18.5% (Census 2011)<ref name=Census2011final />
At the 2011 census, the largest cohort of those self-identified as [[Romani people|Romani]] was the 0–9 years cohort, which accounted for 20.8% of all Romani. The same age cohort accounted for 10.2% of the [[Turkish people|Turks]] and 7.2% of the [[Bulgarians]].<ref name="censusresults.nsi.bg"/> At the 2021 census, the 0–9 years cohort amongst the Romani was second largest after the 10–19 years one and represented 17.0% of all Romani.<ref name=Infostat5>{{cite web |website=Инфостат|url=https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/reports/result.jsf?x_2=2139|title=Population by Ethnic Group and Age as of 07.09.2021}}</ref> The corresponding percentages for ethnic Bulgarians and ethnic Turks stood at 7.7% and 8.8%, respectively.

{{Pie chart
| caption = Ethnicity of children aged 0–9 (2011 census)<ref name="censusresults.nsi.bg">{{cite web |url=http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R7.aspx |title=Население по местоживеене, възраст и етническа група |trans-title=Population by place of residence, age and ethnic group |access-date=2012-06-13 |url-status=live |archive-date=2 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602032148/http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R7.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsi.bg/bg/content/3078/население-по-области-общини-населени-места-и-възраст-към-01022011-г|title=Population by districts, municipalities, settlements and age as of 01.02.2011 |website=Nsi.bg|access-date=2017-08-24}}</ref>
|radius =80
| label1 =[[Bulgarians]]|color1 = Salmon
| value1 =62.0
| label2 =[[Romani people|Romani]] |color2 = Yellow
| value2 =10.2
| label3 =[[Turkish people|Turks]] | color3 = DodgerBlue
| value3 =9.0
| label4 = Other| color4 = DarkOrchid
| value4 = 0.5
| label5 = Undeclared | color5 = Maroon
| value5 =3.4
| label6 = Data borrowed from adm. databases | color6 = Grey
| value6 =14.9
}}
{{Pie chart
| caption = Ethnicity of children aged 0–9 (2021 census)<ref name=Infostat5/>
|thumb=right
|radius =80
| label1 =[[Bulgarians]]|color1 = Salmon
| value1 =66.4
| label2 =[[Romani people|Romani]] |color2 = Yellow
| value2 =7.7
| label3 =[[Turkish people|Turks]] | color3 = DodgerBlue
| value3 =7.5
| label4 = Other| color4 = DarkOrchid
| value4 = 0.7
| label5 = Undeclared | color5 = Maroon
| value5 =2.0
| label6 = Data borrowed from adm. databases | color6 = Grey
| value6 =15.6
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4"| '''Ethnicity of children aged 0–9 per province (% from the declared)'''
|-
! [[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]
! Ethnicity
! Ethnicity
! Ethnicity
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
|| || style="background:lightgrey;"| Bulgarian || style="background:lightgrey;"| Turkish || style="background:lightgrey;"| Roma
|-
| '''[[Bulgaria]]''' || '''72.9% ''' ||''' 10.6% '''|| '''12.0% '''
|-
| [[Blagoevgrad Province]] || 80.9% || 7.3% || 7.8%
|-
| [[Burgas Province]] || 68.5% || 16.2% || 9.7%
|-
| [[Dobrich Province]] || 56.9% || 17.1% || 18.9%
|-
| [[Gabrovo Province]] || 85.0% ||  8.2% || 3.8%
|-
| [[Haskovo Province]] || 62.7% || 16.5% || 16.7%
|-
| [[Kardzhali Province]] || 23.8% || 67.8% || 2.7%
|-
| [[Kyustendil Province]] || 79.4% || 0.0% || 16.1%
|-
| [[Lovech Province]] || 78.0% || 3.6% || 14.8%
|-
| [[Montana Province]] || 66.8% || 0.1% || 29.0%
|-
| [[Pazardzhik Province]] || 67.3% || 8.7% || 16.7%
|-
| [[Pernik Province]] || 90.3% || 0.1% || 7.5%
|-
| [[Pleven Province]] || 78.5% || 4.4% || 13.5%
|-
| [[Plovdiv Province]] || 74.1% || 9.3% || 11.9%
|-
| [[Razgrad Province]] ||33.9% || 50.0% || 10.2%
|-
| [[Ruse Province]] || 72.2% || 15.1% || 8.9%
|-
| [[Shumen Province]] || 45.5% || 31.5% || 17.6%
|-
| [[Silistra Province]] || 38.2% || 43.1% || 14.4%
|-
| [[Sliven Province]] || 55.0% || 11.6% || 28.3%
|-
| [[Smolyan Province]] || 87.6% || 5.0% || 1.9%
|-
| [[Sofia]] City || 92.2% || 0.5% || 3.6%
|-
| [[Sofia Province]] || 77.1% || 0.2% || 18.8%
|-
| [[Stara Zagora Province]] || 68.3% || 7.3% || 19.9%
|-
| [[Targovishte Province]] || 39.6% || 38.0% || 15.5%
|-
| [[Varna Province]] || 79.2% || 8.9% || 7.0%
|-
| [[Veliko Tarnovo Province]] || 79.9% || 11.0% || 4.4%
|-
| [[Vidin Province]] || 74.3% || 0.1% || 20.6%
|-
| [[Vratsa Province]] || 80.3% || 0.4% || 15.6%
|-
| [[Yambol Province]] || 62.4% || 5.8% || 26.7%
|-
|colspan=4|<small>Source (2011 census)</small>:<ref name="1900-2011"/>
|}
Bulgarian children constitute the majority of all children in 23 out of 28 provinces. They constitute more than ninety percent of all children in two provinces: [[Sofia|Sofia (city)]] (92%) and [[Pernik Province]] (90%).

Turkish children constitute the majority in [[Kardzhali Province]] (68% of self-declared) and [[Razgrad Province]] (50% of self-declared); they also constitute the largest group of all children in [[Silistra Province]] (43%).

Roma children constitute 12% of all children in Bulgaria and more than a quarter in three provinces: [[Montana Province|Montana]] (29%), [[Sliven Province|Sliven]] (28%) and [[Yambol Province|Yambol]] (27%).

Bulgaria is ageing rapidly, especially in some remote rural areas.
{| frame="box" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2px"
|-
! colspan="4" | Age Structure (2011)
|-
! Under working age (0 – 17)
! Working age (18 – 64)
! Above working age (65 and over)
|- style="text-align:right;"
|| 1 172 208 (16.0%)
|| 4 789 967 (65.1%)
|| 1 389 059 (18.9%)
|-
! colspan="4" | Age Structure (2017)<ref>{{cite web|author=Time series: Pop_6.1.10_Pop_DR_EN.xls |url=http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/13042/population-working-age-status-place-residence-sex-and-districts-and-municipalities |title=Population by working age status, place of residence, sex, and by districts and municipalities &#124; National statistical institute |publisher=Nsi.bg |access-date=2018-05-05}}</ref>
|-
! Under working age (0 – 17)
! Working age (18 – 64)
! Above working age (65 and over)
|- style="text-align:right;"
|| 1 065 993 (15.1%)
|| 4 248 503 (60.3%)
|| 1 735 538 (24.6%)
|}
The ageing of the population leads to an increase of the median age. The median age is 43.6 as of 2017, up from 40.4 years in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Population2017_en_R5PBSJP.pdf |title=POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES IN 2017 |access-date=2018-05-05}}</ref>

== Education ==
{{main|Education in Bulgaria}}
{{multiple image |total_width=300 |align=left |image1=Cocencms202-2 (L).png |caption1=Map of Romani students in schools in Bulgaria |image2=Cocencms202-2 (R).png |caption2=Chart of completed degrees by ethnic groups in Bulgaria}}

Over 98% of the population is literate, the males being more literate than the females.

According to the 2011 census, about 112,778 people aged nine or more are [[illiterate]]. There are considerable differences in the share of illiterate persons amongst the three main ethnic groups. Amongst the Bulgarian ethnic group the share of illiterate is 0.5%, amongst the Turkish - 4.7% and amongst the Roma ethnic group - 11.8%.<ref>[https://www.nsi.bg/census2011/PDOCS2/Census2011final_en.pdf 2011 census results]</ref> About 81 thousand people aged seven or more never visited school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sociobrains.com/website/w1465/file/repository/14_20_Sonya_Ilieva_Predominating_risk_groups_in_Bulgarian_society.pdf |title=Risk report |website=sociobrains.com }}</ref>

== Unemployment ==
[[File:Bulgaria socio-economic map.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|Chart of unemployment and poverty rate by ethnic groups]]

The number of unemployed people declined from 207,000 people (or around 6.2% of the population) in 2017<ref>Unemployed and unemployment rates - national level; statistical regions; districts [http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6503/unemployed-and-unemployment-rates-national-level-statistical-regions-districts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407183612/http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/6503/unemployed-and-unemployment-rates-national-level-statistical-regions-districts|date=7 April 2018}}</ref> to 156,657 in November 2023. The unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in November 2023 according to [[Eurostat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sofiaglobe.com/2024/01/09/eurostat-unemployment-in-bulgaria-in-november-2023-was-4-3/ |date=9 January 2024 |title=Eurostat: Unemployment in Bulgaria in November 2023 was 4.3% }}</ref>

Most unemployed people are aged 15 to 24 years old.

The [[unemployment rate]] in rural areas (around 10.0%) is nearly two times higher than the unemployment rate in urban areas (approximately 5.1%).

[[Vidin Province]] has the highest unemployment rate with almost one fifth of its labour force being unemployed. The provinces of [[Shumen Province|Shumen]] (15.9%), [[Silistra Province|Silistra]] (12.5%) and [[Targovishte Province|Targovishte]] (12.4%) also have very high unemployment rates.

== Other statistics ==

=== Home ownership ===
According to [[Eurostat]], 82.3% per cent of the population live in privately owned and owner-occupied homes, ranking it as 12th [[List of countries by home ownership rate|highest in ownership]] globally.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?query=BOOKMARK_DS-057102_QID_684D63DF_UID_-3F171EB0&layout=TIME,C,X,0;GEO,L,Y,0;INCGRP,L,Z,0;HHTYP,L,Z,1;TENURE,L,Z,2;INDICATORS,C,Z,3;&zSelection=DS-057102INDICATORS,OBS_FLAG;DS-057102INCGRP,TOTAL;DS-057102TENURE,OWN;DS-057102HHTYP,TOTAL;&rankName1=HHTYP_1_2_-1_2&rankName2=INDICATORS_1_2_-1_2&rankName3=INCGRP_1_2_-1_2&rankName4=TENURE_1_2_-1_2&rankName5=TIME_1_0_0_0&rankName6=GEO_1_2_0_1&sortR=ASC_0&sortC=ASC_-1_FIRST&rStp=&cStp=&rDCh=&cDCh=&rDM=true&cDM=true&footnes=false&empty=false&wai=false&time_mode=NONE&time_most_recent=false&lang=EN&cfo=%23%23%23%2C%23%23%23.%23%23%23|title=Eurostat - Data Explorer - Distribution of population by tenure status, type of household and income group|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref> It is down from a recent peak of 87.6% in 2008, and has been steadily falling since.<ref name=":0" />

=== Internet penetration ===
The number of Internet users has increased rapidly since 2000—from 430,000 their number grew to 1.55&nbsp;million in 2004, and 3.4&nbsp;million (48 per cent penetration rate) in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/bg.htm |title=Bulgaria Internet Usage Stats and Market Report |publisher=Internetworldstats.com |date=30 June 2010 |access-date=20 December 2011}}</ref> Bulgaria has the third-fastest average Broadband Internet speed in the world after South Korea and Romania with an average speed of 1,611&nbsp;kbit/s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sofiaecho.com/2011/09/21/1161236_bulgaria-ranks-third-in-global-internet-speed-survey|title=Bulgaria ranks third in global Internet speed survey|newspaper=[[The Sofia Echo]]|date=21 September 2011|access-date=8 June 2012|archive-date=17 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617201929/http://sofiaecho.com/2011/09/21/1161236_bulgaria-ranks-third-in-global-internet-speed-survey|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/facts/2011/material/ICTFactsFigures2011.pdf |title=The World in 2011 – Facts and Figures |date=February 2012 |publisher=[[International Telecommunication Union]] |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref>

=== Mobile phone adoption ===
Currently there are three active mobile phone operators—[[Mobiltel|A1]], [[Yettel]] and [[Vivacom]], A1 is the largest one with 5.2 million users as of 2010,<ref name="managerblitz">{{cite web|url=http://www.manager.bg/broi-132/menidzhmant/%E2%80%9Cm-tel-blits-s-andreas-mayerhofer|title="М-Тел" блиц с Андреас Майерхофер - списание МЕНИДЖЪР|date=23 April 2012|website=Manager.bg|access-date=24 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423010908/http://www.manager.bg/broi-132/menidzhmant/%E2%80%9Cm-tel-blits-s-andreas-mayerhofer|archive-date=23 April 2012}}</ref> Yettel has 3,9 million as of 2007 and Vivacom over 1 million{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}.

=== HIV ===
Bulgaria's [[List of countries by HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate|HIV rate]] is among the lowest in the world, being 0.1% or 3,800 infected as of 2009.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}

== Urbanization ==
{{see also|List of cities and towns in Bulgaria}}

Most Bulgarians (72.5 per cent) reside in urban areas. Approximately one-sixth of them live in Sofia, which has a population exceeding 1,200,000 people.

:Urban population: {{increase}} 5,338,261 or 72.5% of total population (Census 2011)<ref name=Census2011final />
:Rural: 2,026,309 or 27.5%
:Rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

== See also ==
* [[Immigration to Bulgaria]]
* [[Immigration to Europe]]
* [[List of countries by immigrant population]]
* [[Bulgaria]]
* [[Ageing of Europe]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=fn|refs=
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Demographics of Bulgaria}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060625142836/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2005/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2005_MONTH_10/3-25102005-EN-AP.PDF 2005 Report on European Demography], [[Eurostat]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060501230139/http://www.nsi.bg/Population_e/Population_e.htm Annual report of the National Statistics Institute for 2005 regarding population and demographic processes]
* [https://www.academia.edu/41133251/P_Peykovska_Migration_and_Urbanization_in_Industrializing_Bulgaria_1910_1946 Urbanization,1910-1946]
* [https://catalog.osaarchivum.org/catalog/xZRprXEz Bulgarian Subject Files – Social Issues: Minorities], [[Blinken Open Society Archives]], Budapest
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141026092246/http://www.balkanreporter.org/home/bulgarians-species-on-the-brink/ Bulgarians – Species on the Brink]

{{Demographics of Europe}}
{{Bulgaria topics}}
{{Ethnic groups in Bulgaria}}

[[Category:Demographics of Bulgaria| ]]
[[Category:Society of Bulgaria]]