Bulgaria Has the Highest Mortality Rate in Europe

The mortality rate in Bulgaria is the highest in Europe and the child mortality rate 1.5 times higher than the European average, according to the latest data from the Institute for Population and Human Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

In 2023 and 2024, Bulgaria’s crude mortality rate stood at 15.7‰ in 2023 and 15.6‰ in 2024. A total of 100,736 people died in the country last year. Although this reflects a slight improvement compared to 2018 (16.2‰), Bulgaria still ranks at the top in Europe, where the average mortality rate was 10.8‰ in 2023.

Between 1960 and 2023, Bulgaria's life expectancy increased by approximately one year per decade, reaching 75.8 years in 2023. This marks a recovery—and a slight improvement—compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, life expectancy growth in Bulgaria has lagged behind other European countries, where the average reached 81.4 years in 2023.

A positive trend is observed in child mortality, which dropped to its lowest recorded level in Bulgaria—4.5‰ in 2024. Despite this improvement, it remains 1.5 times higher than the European average.

Significant regional disparities were also recorded:

The lowest mortality rate in 2024 was in Sofia (city) at 11.3‰.
The highest was in Vidin at 24.3‰.
Rural areas show a mortality rate of 20.7‰, which is 1.5 times higher than in urban areas (13.8‰).
Child mortality in rural areas reached 7‰, nearly 1.7 times higher than in cities (4.2‰ in 2023).