site.btaEurostat: One Pensioner Per Three Working-Age Bulgarians in 2017

Sofia, May 9 (BTA) - Last year there was one person aged 65 or over per three working-age persons aged 15 to 64 in Bulgaria, according to Eurostat data on the old-age dependency ratio in the EU in 2017. This equals 1.4 million people aged 65 or over per some 4.4 million working-age Bulgarians, or an old-age dependency ratio of 31.8 per cent.

In the EU, the old-age dependency ratio was 29.9 per cent in 2017. Almost one in five persons in the Union was aged 65 or over (19.4 per cent). This represents a population of nearly 100 million people.

According to data of the National Statistical Institute for 2017, the aging of Bulgaria's population was more apparent among women, with a relative share of 24 per cent of those aged 65 or over, compared to 17.4 per cent for elderly men. This difference is the result of Bulgarian men's higher mortality rate, which in turn leads to a lower life expectancy.

The average life expectancy in Bulgaria was 75.5 years last year, with that of women and men being 79 years and 72 years, respectively.

The share of the elderly population was the highest in Vidin (29 per cent), Gabrovo (28 per cent) and Kyustendil (27 per cent), and the lowest in Sofia (17 per cent) and Varna (18 per cent).