As of the end of 2024, the population of Bulgaria was 6,437,360 persons, which 8,121 fewer or 0.13% less compared to 2023, the National Statistical Institute reported on April 29.
Men accounted for 48.1% of the population with 3,095,140, while the remaining 3,342,220 or 51.9% were women.
By the end of 2024, the number of people aged 65 and over was 1,544,245, or 24% of the population.
As of December 31, 2024, there were 901,843 children up to 15 years of age in the country, or 14% of the total population.
As of the end of 2024, the age dependency ratio, i.e. the number of persons under 15 and over 65 per 100 persons aged 15 to 64, was 61.3%.
The population ageing over the years led to an increase in the population mean age. It has increased to 45.3 years at the end of 2024. The mean age of the population is 44.5 years in urban areas, compared to 47.6 years in rural areas.
The number of the population at working age as of December 31, 2024, was 3,765,000, or 58.5% of the total population, of which 1,970,000 were men, 1,795,000 were women. Some 1,701,000 or 26.4% of the total population were over the working age, and 971,000 or 15.1% were under it.
Territorial distribution of population
By the end of 2024, 4,744,111 people or 73.7% of the total population resided in urban areas, and the remaining 1,693,249 or 26.3% resided in rural ones.
There were 5,256 settlements in Bulgaria by the end of 2024, of which 257 towns and 4,999 villages. There were 199 settlements with no inhabitants. Six Bulgarian cities had populations of more than 100,000, and the total number of people in them accounts for 35.5% of all people in Bulgaria.
Birth rate
In 2024, a total of 53,727 children were born, with 53,428 (99.4%) being live births. This represents a decrease of 3,769 live births, or 6.6%, compared to the previous year.
Mortality
The number of deaths in 2024 was 100,736. The crude mortality rate was 15.6 per mil. Compared to the previous year, the number of deaths decreased by 270, or by 0.3%.
The mortality rate in rural areas was 20.7 per mil compared to 13.8 per mil in urban areas.