POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC
PROCESSES IN 2004
1. Total population
At the end of 2004 the calculated resident
population of Bulgaria was 7 761 049 persons
1 . Compared to 2003 its number
has declined by 40 224 persons or 0.5% of
total population. The decline is entirely
due to the negative natural increase of the
population, i.e. the significantly greater
number of deaths compared to that of live
births.
Population by sex and years
as of 31.12
YearsTotalMalesFemales
| 1990 |
8 669 269 |
4 269 998 |
4 399 271 |
| 1995 |
8 384 715 |
4 103 368 |
4 281 347 |
| 2000 |
8 149 468 |
3 967 423 |
4 182 045 |
| 2001 |
7 891 095 |
3 841 163 |
4 049 932 |
| 2002 |
7 845 841 |
3 816 162 |
4 029 679 |
| 2003 |
7 801 273 |
3 790 840 |
4 010 433 |
| 2004 |
7 761 049 |
3 767 610 |
3 993 439 |
The number of females in the total
population continues to be higher (relative
share of 51.5 %.). In 2004 there were 1 000
males to 1 060 females.
The present population of cities is
5 431.8 thousand, or 70.0% of the Bulgarian
population, and that of villages -
2 329.2 thousand or 30.0%.
2. Ageing of the population
The average age of the population in
Bulgaria in 2004 stood at 41 years. The
process of ageing of the population takes
place in both villages and cities, the
average age in villages being higher than
that in cities 45.0 years in villages and
39.3 years in cities.
The average life expectancy at birth for the
2002-2004 period is 72.37 years.
3. Population under, at and over working
age
The breakdown of the population at working
age and over working age is influenced by
both ageing and the changes in legislation
fixing the age limit for the population at
pension age2.
The population at working age at the end of
2004 was approximately 4 782 thousand
persons or 61.6% of the total population. In
comparison with 2003 its number increased
significantly by 35 thousand persons.
The population over working age in 2004 was
1 805 thousand persons. Over a period of a
year it has approximately decreased by
40 thousand persons. The decline is not only
due to the natural movement of the
population (crude birth rate and mortality)
but also to the exclusion from it of part of
the population due to changes in the pension
age limit.
A long-term tendency towards a decline has
emerged among the population under working
age. In comparison with 2003 this category
of population has decreased by 35 thousand
persons, and by the end of 2004 it numbered
1 174 thousand persons.
Population under, at and
over working age
YearsTotalWorking age status
Under working ageAt working
ageOver working age
| 1990 |
100.00 |
21.6 |
55.5 |
22.9 |
| 1995 |
100.00 |
19.1 |
56.6 |
24.3 |
| 2000 |
100.00 |
16.8 |
58.3 |
24.9 |
| 2001 |
100.00 |
16.3 |
59.2 |
24.5 |
| 2002 |
100.00 |
15.9 |
60.1 |
24.0 |
| 2003 |
100.00 |
15.5 |
60.8 |
23.7 |
| 2004 |
100.00 |
15.1 |
61.6 |
23.3 |
4. Natality of the population
During the 2004 70 433 children were born
in Bulgaria, of which 69 886 (99.2%) were
live-born. Compared to the preceding year
the number of live-born children has
increased by 2 527. The crude birth rate
(the number of live-born children per
1 000 persons of the average annual
population) reaches - 9.0.
In 2004 the number of live-born boys was
36 026 and the number of live-born girls
was 33 860, i.e. there were 1 000 boys to
940 girls.
The number of live-born children in cities
was 50 390, and in villages was 19 496
children, or the crude birth rate was 9.3
in cities and 8.3 in villages.
Crude birth rate and
natural increase of the population
YearsCrude birth rateNatural
increaseTotal fertility rate3
| Per 1000 of
the population |
| 1990 |
12.1 |
-0.4 |
1.81 |
| 1995 |
8.6 |
-5.0 |
1.23 |
| 2000 |
9.0 |
-5.1 |
1.27 |
| 2001 |
8.6 |
-5.6 |
1.24 |
| 2002 |
8.5 |
-5.8 |
1.21 |
| 2003 |
8.6 |
-5.7 |
1.23 |
| 2004 |
9.0 |
-5.2 |
1.29 |
During the last few years a constant
increase of the number of illegitimate
births can be observed. Their relative share
has increased from 25.8% in 1995 to 38.4% in
2000, reaching 46.1% in 2003. In 2004 the
number of illegitimate births is 34 043, or
48.7%. When reviewing data on illegitimate
births one should keep in mind that for
about 60,0% of all illegitimate births the
name of the father was listed as known.
Hence illegitimate births are greatly due to
the increase of the number of so-called de
facto marriages namely we can thus assume
that not all illegitimate children live
outside a family environment.
5. Mortality of the population
In Bulgaria in 2004 there were 110 110
deaths, or the crude death rate (the number
of deaths per 1000 persons of the average
annual population) stood at 14.2. Compared
to the preceding year the number of deaths
has decreased by 1 817 persons.
Mortality remains higher among males (15.7)
than females (12.7), and higher in villages
(19.4) than in cities (11.9).
Crude birth rate, infant
mortality rate and premature mortality rate
YearsCrude death rate - Infant
mortality rate4-Premature
mortality rate5-
| 1990 |
12.5 |
14.8 |
29.7 |
| 1995 |
13.6 |
14.8 |
28.3 |
| 2000 |
14.1 |
13.3 |
25.0 |
| 2001 |
14.2 |
14.4 |
25.2 |
| 2002 |
14.3 |
13.3 |
24.5 |
| 2003 |
14.3 |
12.3 |
24.3 |
| 2004 |
14.2 |
11.6 |
24.9 |
Infant mortality continues to be
characterized by its considerable inherent
fluctuations. The infant mortality rate is
an indicator influenced by various factors
and susceptible to change in time and the
relatively minor numbers from which it is
derived. After reaching the high level of
16.9 in 1991, the infant mortality rate
fell to 14.8 in 1995, and in 1997 reached
its highest value for the last 15 years -
17.5. Over the next years it decreased
again, reaching 12.3 in 2003. In 2004, 814
children up to the age of 1 year died in
Bulgaria, with the infant mortality rate
decreasing to 11.6.
6. Natural increase of the population
The difference between births and deaths
represents the natural increase of the
population. Since 1990 the number of deaths
exceeds that this of births. Hence this
difference is negative. As a result, since
the beginning of the 1990s the population of
Bulgaria has been decreasing. The natural
increase of the population in absolute terms
in 2004 is minus 40 224 persons. The natural
increase rate (difference between births and
deaths per 1000 persons of the average
annual population) is - 5.2 in 2004. The
difference between the natural increase rate
values in cities and villages is
considerable. In villages it was 11.1, and
2.6 in cities.
7. Marriages and divorces
The total number of registered marriages was
31 038, or 393 more than in preceding year.
Out of all registered marriages 80.1% were
in cities. There were 6 181 registered
marriages in villages.
The number of terminated marriages in 2004
is 14 669, or 2 666 more than in 2003. The
greatest part of the number of divorces
(11 811 divorces) took place in cities.
8. Internal migration of the population
In 2003 137 thousand persons took part in
145 thousand migrations and changed their
place of residence within the country.
The biggest migration increase in
territorial aspect in 2004 occurred between
cities and other cities. Approximately 45%
of all migrants changed their place of
residence from one town to another.
Migration flows from cities to villages
(23%) and villages to cities (21%) were much
smaller in terms of relative share. The
smallest migration flow was from village to
village (-11%).
1 The number of population is
influenced by external migration, which is
not taken into account.
2 In 2004 the population at
working age includes the persons aged 16
years until the completion of 62 years and 6
months for men and 16 and 57 and 6 months
for women.
3 The average number of children,
whom a mother would give birth to during her
entire fertility period.
4 Number of dead children at the
age below 1 year per 1 000 live-born
children.
5 Relative share of the deaths of
persons under the age of 65 years of the
total number of deaths.
