NSI: Bulgaria’s population dropped by 0.13% in 2024 y/y

As of December 31 2024, the population of Bulgaria was 6 437 360, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on April 29, releasing final data.

Compared with 2023, the country’s population decreased by 8 121 people, or by 0.13 per cent, the NSI said.

By the end of 2024, the number of people in Bulgaria aged 65 and over was 1 544 245, or 24 per cent of the country’s population.

The number of the population at working age as of December 31 2024 was 3 765 000, or 58.5 per cent of the total population.

By the end of 2024, the number of the population over working age was 1 701 000, or 26.4 per cent, and under working age were 971 000 people, or 15.1 per cent of the country’s population.

There were 53 727 children born in Bulgaria in 2024, of which 53 428 (99.4 per cent) were live-born. The number of live births decreased by 3769 children, or 6.6 per cent compared to the previous year.

The number of women in fertile age as of the end of December 2024 was 1 257 000, a decrease of 12 000 compared with the previous year.

The number of live-born children born to mothers aged below 18 years increased from 2753 in 2023 to 2817 in 2024.

The number of live-born children born to mothers of age 40 and more years decreased from 2641 in 2023 to 2528 in 2024.

The mean age of women at first birth was 27.6 in 2024.

The mean age of women at first birth had varied between 22.1 in Sliven district to 30.9 in Sofia city district. There were 926 multi-foetal births registered in 2024. In 914 of the cases, twins were born, in 12, triplets.

The number of deaths in 2024 was 100 736 and the crude mortality rate1 – 15.6‰. Compared with 2023, the number of deaths decreased by 270, or by 0.3 per cent. Mortality among males (16.8‰) continues to be higher than among females (14.6‰). In 2024, there were 1064 deaths of males per 1000 deaths of females.

There were 20 643 juridical marriages registered in 2024, or 1157 less than the previous year. The marriage rate was 3.2‰.

The mean age at first marriage in 2024 was 33.8 for males and 30.9 years for females. Compared with 2023, the mean age at first marriage had increased by 0.4 years for males and 0.5 for females.

The number of divorces in 2024 was 8650, or 438 fewer than in 2023.

The highest was the number of divorces by “mutual agreement” (67 per cent), followed by divorces due to “incompatibility of temperament” (20.2 per cent) and “virtual parting” (11.8 per cent).

The average duration of a marriage in Bulgaria before divorce in 2024 was 15.2 years, the NSI said.

(Photo: Donna Adenine)

For exclusive subscriber-only access to The Sofia Globe’s analysis and commentary on events in Bulgaria, please sign up to our page on Patreon:

Become a Patron!

The Sofia Globe staff

The Sofia Globe - the Sofia-based fully independent English-language news and features website, covering Bulgaria, the Balkans and the EU. Sign up to subscribe to sofiaglobe.com's daily bulletin through the form on our homepage. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32709292