One of the most popular summer destinations for our compatriots has been Bulgaria for many years. This country is located in the southeast of Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. We offer you today to find out what constitutes the population of Bulgaria.
general information
The population of Bulgaria is about 7.3 million people. At the same time, about one and a half million live in the capital of the country - Sofia. Also, the largest cities in Bulgaria are Plovdiv (almost half a million inhabitants), Varna (650 thousand inhabitants), Burgas (300 thousand inhabitants) and Rousse (170 thousand inhabitants).
Population in Bulgaria: demographic indicators and areas of residence
According to statistics, 48 percent of the population of this country are men and 52 percent are women. Urban residents account for 71%. The rural population is only 29%.
Turning to history, it can be noted that the number of urban residents in Bulgaria grew very slowly until the middle of the last century. So, at the end of the 19th century, the urban population was no more than 19%. However, later the situation underwent significant changes.
Population growth dynamics
At the beginning of the last century, the birth rate in this country was one of the highest in all of Europe. However, after World War II, the population of Bulgaria declined. Also, this event could not but affect the birth rate. By the 60s of the last century, the demographic situation returned to normal, and later this indicator began to increase.
However, since the 90s of the XX century, the birth rate began to decline again. In this regard, as well as due to migration, the population of Bulgaria decreased by almost a million people. Today, the country is experiencing a demographic crisis. And the natural population growth is negative. This suggests that in Bulgaria more residents die than are born.
As for the average life expectancy in this country, it is 72 years for men and 82 years for women.
Ethnic composition of the population of Bulgaria
Almost 85% of the inhabitants of this country are Bulgarians. This figure also includes a small number of Macedonians who are considered ethnic Bulgarians. In addition to indigenous people, a significant number of Turks (about 10% of the total population) and Gypsies (4.7%) live in this country. In addition, the population of Bulgaria includes Armenians, Russians, Greeks, Romanians, Ukrainians, Jews and Karakach. However, representatives of these ethnic groups make up no more than 0.5% of the total population of the country.
85% of the population considers Bulgarian their native language, 9.6% - Turkish, and 4.1% - Gypsy. The main religion in Bulgaria is Orthodoxy. So, about 83% of the population of the state profess it. Muslims consider themselves 12.2%, Catholics - 0.6%, Protestants - 0.5%.
Occupation of the population of Bulgaria
The working-age population of this European country is about five million people. The number of pensioners is estimated at 1.7 million, and children - at 1.2 million people.
Most of the population of the Bulgarian Republic is engaged in services (over 60%). The number of workers in the industrial field (engineering, metallurgy, construction, food industry) is 30%. In agriculture, only 10% of the country's population is employed.
Bulgarian Diaspora Abroad
Today, about 600 thousand ethnic Bulgarians live outside the Bulgarian Republic. A significant part of them is concentrated in the southwestern regions of Ukraine, as well as in the south of Moldova. Smaller Bulgarian diasporas are available in Romania and Hungary. Also, about 700 Bulgarian communities are in the United States of America.