Bulgaria's Population Has Shrunk by More Than 14,000 in a Year

Bulgaria’s population decreased by 14,153 people in 2025. At the end of the year, 6,423,207 people lived in the country, a decrease of 0.22% compared with the previous year.

The average age is now 45.4 years, while people of working age account for 58.6% of the population.

A total of 192 settlements have no residents. The largest village is Lozen, in the Sofia area, while the smallest town is Melnik.

During the year, 44,640 people moved to Bulgaria from abroad. The largest numbers arrived from Turkey, Ukraine and Germany.

The main reason for the population decline remains negative natural growth, which reduced the population by 49,238 people. The decline was greater than in 2024, when the population was reported to have decreased by 8,121 people.