Page last modified 21 August 2023
Bulgaria
Community
Area 110,879 square kilometres (land area 108,489 square kilometres)
Population,
3,000,000 (1844)
3,309,816 (1893)
3,744,282 (1900)
4,028,239 (1906)
5,748,741 (1926)
6,077,939 (1934)
7,022,206 (1946)
7,885,500 (1960)
8,507,500 (1970) +7.9%
8,878,800 (1980) +4.4%
8,841,400 (1990) -0.4%
7,997,800 (2000) -9.5%
7,404,600 (2010) -7.4%
6,927,300 (2020) -6.4%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Bulgarian |
Roma |
Turkish |
|
1900 |
74.0 |
2.4 |
19.0 |
|
1934 |
86.8 |
1.3 |
10.2 |
|
1975 |
88.0 |
3.0 |
9.0 |
|
2011 |
84.8 |
4.9 |
8.8 |
Religion, %
|
Year |
Christian; Orthodox |
Christian; Roman Catholic |
Jewish |
Muslim; Sunni |
|
1900 |
76.0 |
0.6 |
0.8 |
21.0 |
|
1934 |
84.4 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
13.5 |
|
1947 |
84.0 |
0.9 |
0.3 |
11.5 |
|
1970 |
|
0.5 |
0.1 |
11.0 |
|
1990 |
80.0 |
|
|
8.0 |
|
2001 |
82.6 |
|
|
12.2 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1865 |
|
|
|
30.9 |
|
|
|
|
1901 |
|
|
154.0 |
27.8 |
41.4 |
|
|
|
1911 |
|
35.8 (+12.1) |
|
23.7 |
|
|
|
|
1934 |
|
|
145.0 |
|
21.4 |
|
|
|
1939 |
|
24.1 (+10.7) |
139.0 |
13.4 |
|
|
|
|
1946 |
|
24.0 (+10.6) |
120.0 |
13.4 |
|
|
24.6 |
|
1952 |
|
21.0 (+11.0) |
92.0 |
10.0 |
26.8 |
6.7 |
27.4 |
|
1962 |
2.2 |
17.0 (+8.9) |
36.0 |
8.1 |
25.4 |
7.6 |
40.5 |
|
1970 |
2.3 |
16.0 (+6.9) |
28.0 |
9.1 |
22.8 |
9.6 |
52.3 |
|
1980 |
2.1 |
14.5 (+3.4) |
19.6 |
11.1 |
22.1 |
11.9 |
62.1 |
|
1990 |
1.8 |
12.0 (-0.5) |
14.7 |
12.5 |
20.4 |
13.0 |
66.4 |
|
2000 |
1.3 |
9.0 (-5.1) |
14.3 |
14.1 |
15.7 |
16.1 |
68.9 |
|
2010 |
1.5 |
9.4 (-5.5) |
9.1 |
14.9 |
13.3 |
17.7 |
72.3 |
|
2015 |
1.5 |
9.2 (-6.1) |
6.9 |
15.3 |
14.0 |
20.0 |
73.9 |
|
2017 |
1.5 |
9.0 (-6.5) |
6.2 |
15.5 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
5.9 |
|
14.6 |
21.0 |
75.0 |
Life expectancy,
42.2 (1902); 42.1 (M), 42.2 (F)
46.3 (1927); 45.9 (M), 46.6 (F)
64.1 (1952); 62.0 (M), 66.0 (F)
69.3 (1960); 67.6 (M), 71.0 (F)
71.3 (1970); 69.1 (M), 73.5 (F)
71.2 (1980); 68.5 (M), 74.0 (F)
71.6 (1990); 68.3 (M), 75.1 (F)
71.7 (2000); 68.2 (M), 75.3 (F)
73.5 (2010); 70.0 (M), 77.2 (F)
75.1 (2020); 71.6 (M), 78.7 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Burgas |
Pleven |
Plovdiv |
Ruse |
Sliven |
SOFIA1 |
Stara Zagora |
Varna |
|
1860 |
|
|
|
|
|
24 |
|
25 |
|
1870 |
|
|
|
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
1890 |
|
|
|
|
|
47 |
|
|
|
1900 |
|
43 |
|
33 |
25 |
68 |
|
33 |
|
1906 |
13 |
21 |
46 |
34 |
25 |
82 |
21 |
37 |
|
1934 |
36 |
32 |
100 |
49 |
31 |
|
30 |
70 |
|
1946 |
44 |
39 |
125 |
53 |
36 |
435 |
37 |
78 |
|
1956 |
73 |
60 |
|
83 |
46 |
|
55 |
120 |
|
1969 |
127 |
90 |
260 |
175 |
77 |
910 |
106 |
210 |
|
1979 |
166 |
123 |
340 |
171 |
96 |
1,050 |
133 |
285 |
|
1990 |
205 |
138 |
379 |
192 |
112 |
1,221 |
165 |
315 |
|
2001 |
193 |
122 |
341 |
162 |
101 |
1,096 |
144 |
315 |
|
2009 |
194 |
111 |
338 |
168 |
|
1,185 |
140 |
321 |
|
2011 |
200 |
131 |
338 |
168 |
125 MA |
1,202 |
137 |
335 |
|
2015 |
|
|
676 MA |
|
|
1,682 MA |
158 |
474 MA |
1Sofia became capital of Bulgaria in 1879. It is named after St Sofia.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
800 |
0.36 |
113 |
7.41 |
|
1966 |
5,000 |
0.89 |
620 |
14.95 |
|
1970 |
22,200 |
2.14 |
|
|
|
1975 |
22,200 |
1.36 |
|
|
|
1980 |
19,839 |
0.71 |
2,238 |
17.76 |
|
1985 |
17,155 |
0.41 |
1,914 |
10.48 |
|
1990 |
20,620 |
0.36 |
2,286 |
9.54 |
|
1995 |
13,110 |
0.18 |
1,450 |
4.82 |
|
2000 |
12,060 |
0.12 |
1,474 |
4.04 |
|
2005 |
26,600 |
0.20 |
3,400 |
7.67 |
|
2010 |
50,610 |
0.34 |
6,843 |
14.15 |
|
2015 |
50.199 |
0.00 |
6,994 |
12.44 |
|
2016 |
52,390 |
0.28 |
7,351 |
12.79 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1950 |
39.4 |
82.1 |
23.7 |
9.9 |
|
|
|
1960 |
|
56.0 |
|
23.0 |
|
19.0 |
|
1967 |
15.6 |
41.8 |
52.0 |
35.7 |
|
|
|
1980 |
|
37.0 |
|
39.0 |
|
24.0 |
|
1990 |
11.0 |
19.0 |
50.0 |
42.0 |
39.0 |
39.0 |
|
2000 |
10.7 |
14.0 |
23.6 |
29.0 |
63.7 |
58.0 |
|
2010 |
6.3 |
7.3 |
29.0 |
36.0 |
64.5 |
56.5 |
|
2016 |
4.4 |
6.8 |
28.0 |
26.6 |
67.6 |
66.0 |
Communications
Language� Official; Bulgarian % speakers
|
|
Bulgarian |
Roma |
Turkish |
|
1900 |
67.0 |
|
26.3 |
|
1934 |
88.0 |
|
10.0 |
|
1947 |
88.0 |
|
9.8 |
|
1965 |
88.0 |
|
8.6 |
|
1990 |
89.0 |
|
9.0 |
|
2001 |
84.5 |
4.1 |
9.6 |
Literacy
11.0% (1888)
19.9% (1893)
23.9% (1901)
68.4% (1934); 79.6% (M), 57.2% (F)
76.0% (1946)
91.0% (1960)
96.3% (1985)
97.0% (1990)
98.3% (1995); 98.9% (M), 97.7% (F)
98.5% (2000); 99.0% (M), 98.0% (F)
98.3% (2010); 98.6% (M), 97.9% (F)
98.4% (2015); 98.7% (M), 98.1% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1945 |
22,330 |
|
|
|
|
1947 |
|
|
4,310 |
4,210 |
|
1950 |
|
11,000 |
6,000 |
5,000 |
|
1959 |
26,796 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
27,000 |
|
9,400 |
19,800 |
|
1970 |
30,000 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
218,000 |
47,000 |
|
1980 |
33,000 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
37,000 |
1,300,000 |
1,200,000 |
|
|
2000 |
37,300 |
|
1,908.392 |
271,463 |
|
2005 |
40,231 |
|
|
|
|
2007 |
|
2,367,000 |
1,971,500 |
262,900 |
|
2010 |
|
2,960,000 |
2,600,000 |
|
|
2013 |
|
3,321,000 |
|
|
Railways; First railway opened 1866, Rustchuk to Varna.
|
|
Length (km) |
% electrified |
|
1870 |
224 |
|
|
1880 |
539 |
|
|
1890 |
799 |
|
|
1900 |
1,573 |
|
|
1910 |
1,895 |
|
|
1920 |
2,548 |
|
|
1930 |
2,953 |
|
|
1940 |
3,069 |
|
|
1950 |
3,336 |
|
|
1960 |
5,600 |
|
|
1968 |
5,923 |
11.7 |
|
2005 |
5,285 |
54.5 |
|
2014 |
5,114 |
56.3 |
Urban metro systems, kilometres
Sofia, (opened 1998)
17.9 (2005)
40.0 (2010)
Electronic communications, �TV
broadcasts began November 1959
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
29,576 |
|
55,000 |
|
|
|
|
1945 |
38,842 |
|
195,645 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
57,000 |
|
227,000 |
|
|
|
|
1958 |
150,000 |
|
740,192 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
1,431,000 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
189,648 |
|
1,601,000 |
11,000 |
|
|
|
1968 |
377,748 |
|
2,244,769 |
621,205 |
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
2,750,000 |
1,546,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
908,000 |
|
|
1,640,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
2,175,423 |
|
3,950,000 |
2,900,000 |
|
|
|
1992 |
|
|
|
|
90,000 |
|
|
1993 |
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
21,000 |
4,010,000 |
3,220,000 |
140,000 |
10,000 |
|
2000 |
2,881,786 |
738,000 |
4,400,000 |
3,700,000 |
361,400 |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
461,000 |
1,100,000 |
|
2005 |
|
6,244,700 |
|
|
|
1,591,700 |
|
2010 |
2,164,000 |
|
|
|
|
3,400,000 |
|
2012 |
2,253,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
1,478,975 |
8,978,200 |
|
|
|
4,275,000 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
5,886,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Bulgaria,
3.818,026 (1974)
5,485,800 (1980)
3,466,000 (1995)
2,785,000 (2000)
4,837,000 (2005)
6,047,000 (2010)
7,099,000 (2015)