Bulgaria's population at 6,423,207 as of december 31, 2025, nsı final data show
Baku, April 29, AZERTAC
Bulgaria’s population stood at 6,423,207 as of December 31, 2025, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported citing the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on Wednesday. The figures show a decrease of 14,153 people, or 0.22%, compared to 2024. Men numbered 3,088,245 (48.1%), while women totalled 3,334,962 (51.9%), meaning there are 1,080 women for every 1,000 men. The number of men exceeded that of women up to and including the age of 55. With increasing age, both the number and proportion of women in the total population rose.
NSI data show that at the end of 2024, Bulgaria’s population was 6,437,360, a decrease of 8,121 people, or 0.13%, compared to the previous year.
At the end of 2025, people aged 65 and over numbered 1,557,851, or 24.3% of the population. Regionally, the highest share of people aged 65 and over was in the regions of Vidin (31.6%), Smolyan (31.1%), and Gabrovo (30.8%). The lowest share was in Sofia (19.2%) and Varna (21.7%).
As of December 31, 2025, children up to 15 years of age numbered 891,674, or 13.9% of the total population. The highest proportion of people under 15 was in the regions of Sliven (18.7%) and Yambol (15.2%), while the lowest was in Smolyan (10%) and Vidin (11.4%).
The overall age dependency ratio, which shows the number of people in "dependent" age groups (under 15 and 65 and over) per 100 people of "independent" age (15 to 64 years), was 61.6%. The lowest value was in Sofia at 50.9%, and the highest in Vidin at 75.4%.
Population ageing over the years has led to an increase in the average age, which reached 45.4 years at the end of 2025. The average age in urban areas was 44.6 years, while in rural areas it was 47.7 years.
In 2025, 44,640 people changed their residence from abroad to Bulgaria. The flow of immigrants included both Bulgarian citizens returning to the country and citizens of other countries who received permission or status to reside in Bulgaria. Of these, 45.9% were citizens of countries outside the European Union, 38.9% held Bulgarian citizenship, and 15.2% were citizens of EU countries. Men accounted for 52.6% and women for 47.4%. Among those who came to live in Bulgaria, 14.3% were aged between 0 and 14, 72.9% were aged between 15 and 64, and 12.8% were aged 65 and over. The largest shares of immigrants came from Turkiye (25.1%), Ukraine (18.5%), and Germany (9.1%).
In 2025, 9,555 people changed their current address from Bulgaria to abroad, with men making up 52.1% of emigrants. Of all emigrants, 6% were aged 0–14, 59.7% were aged 15–64, and 34.3% were aged 65 and over.
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