Bulgaria’s 2021 census: Sofia’s population has risen to 1.48M – initial data

The city of Sofia is alone among the 28 districts of Bulgaria to have seen its population increase since the 2011 census, according to preliminary results of the 2021 census.

Overall, as The Sofia Globe reported earlier, the preliminary data from the census conducted in September 2021 showed Bulgaria’s population as having decreased by about 844 000 people compared with the figure that emerged from the 2011 census, to a current 6 520 314.

The National Statistical Institute (NSI) said that the city of Sofia’s population was estimated at 1 480 830, an increase of about 14.7 per cent compared with the 2011 figure.

Final results of the 2011 census showed Sofia’s population as 1 291 591, while according to the 2001 census, it was 1 170 842.

The district of Sofia, distinct from the city, had a population of 222 662, down from 247 489.

Plovdiv’s population was 626 183, down from 683 027 a decade earlier, Varna’s was 427 634, down from 475 074 and that of Bourgas was 360 587, down from 415 817.

Among the 28 districts, those with the largest decreases in population were Dobrich and Vidin, both about 26 per cent, and Montana, a decrease of 24.2 per cent compared with the 2011 figure.

The NSI emphasised the provisional nature of the data and said that final results of the 2021 census could be expected towards the end of 2022.

(Photo: Boby Dimitrov)

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