Population and Demographics of Bulgaria
Population declining at 0.56% in 2024 · 22.03% aged 65 or older
In Bulgaria, the 2024 age structure includes 14.47% children and 22.03% older adults. Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Bulgaria moved -15.5% in population size. Under the UN medium scenario, the 2050 total is 5.4 million, a 20.1% decrease from 2024.
Population Over Time in Bulgaria
Bulgaria's population stood at 8.001M in 2000 and 6.758M in 2024, equivalent to a -15.5% change over that period. For 2050, the medium projection is 5.402M. That is a difference of about 1.36 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The 2024 age structure gives Bulgaria a older population profile. Older adults represent 22.03% of residents and children under 15 represent 14.47%; the broad working-age group makes up 63.50%. Older adults outnumber children in these broad age bands.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Bulgaria a female share of 51.6% and a male share of 48.4%. Females exceed males by 3.2 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 51.6% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.4% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
In the latest harmonized estimates, Bulgaria shows -0.56% population change and fertility of 1.7, while 14.47% of residents are under 15 and 22.03% are 65 or older.
Bulgaria's longer population series shows -15.5% change across 2000 to 2024, before a projected -20.1% shift to 2050 under the medium scenario; the page therefore distinguishes measured direction from unmeasured demographic drivers.
2024 estimate for Bulgaria. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Bulgaria vs. World
Three same-year indicators show where Bulgaria differs from the world in 2024: population change is lower than the global rate, fertility is below the global figure, and median age is older than the world benchmark.
| Indicator | Bulgaria | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.56% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.7 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 45 | 30.6 | 2024 |
No national-only figure is inserted into this world comparison. The country and global values share the same 2024 table and source context.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 6,757,689 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is -0.56%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 14.47% are under 15 and 22.03% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 51.6% and 48.4% respectively.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 5.402M, a -20.1% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Bulgaria?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Bulgaria is 6,757,689 people.
Is the population of Bulgaria growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Bulgaria's population is declining, with annual change of -0.56%.
What percentage of the population of Bulgaria is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 22.03% of Bulgaria's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Bulgaria in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Bulgaria's 2050 population at 5,402,217.
What is the fertility rate in Bulgaria?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Bulgaria is 1.7 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.