World Factbook
Bulgaria
Republika Bulgaria
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
Languages
Bulgarian (official) 77.3%, Turkish 7.9%, Romani 3.5%, other 1%, unspecified 10.4% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s)
Светoвен Алманах, незаменимият източник за основна информация. (Bulgarian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Christian 64.7%, Muslim 9.8%, other 0.1%, none 4.7%, unspecified 20.7% (2021 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.04 male(s)/female
total population
0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.67 male(s)/female
Birth rate
7.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
14.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
43.3 years
total
45.5 years (2025 est.)
female
47 years
Population
male
3,281,215
total
6,737,997 (2025 est.)
female
3,456,782
Nationality
noun
Bulgarian(s)
adjective
Bulgarian
Tobacco use
male
36.2% (2025 est.)
total
33.1% (2025 est.)
female
30.3% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
76.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
-0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
13.8% (male 479,586/female 453,423)
15-64 years
65.2% (male 2,250,962/female 2,171,279)
65 years and over
21% (2024 est.) (male 572,943/female 854,466)
Ethnic groups
Bulgarian 78.5%, Turkish 7.8%, Roma 4.1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 9.4% (2021 est.)
note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 9–11% of Bulgaria's population
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
53.3 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
20.7 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
3.1 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
32.7 (2025 est.)
Physician density
4.33 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.6% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
11.6% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
7.8 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.52 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 97.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 2.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
12% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
8.7 deaths/1,000 live births
total
7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
-0.66% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.74 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger populations
Life expectancy at birth
male
72.9 years
female
79.4 years
total population
76.1 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
6 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
4.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
1.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
11.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
4.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.288 million SOFIA (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
26.4 years (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
56.6% (2023 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
1.6% (2014)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
15 years (2023 est.)
total
15 years (2023 est.)
female
16 years (2023 est.)