site.btaDemographer: Several Bulgarian Problems Need to Be Solved to Tackle Demographic Crisis, Birth Rate Is Not among Them

Bulgaria has four problems it needs to solve if it wants to tackle the demographic crisis, Georgi Bardarov, demographer and Deputy Dean of the Geology and Geography Faculty of Sofia University said here Tuesday. He was speaking during the fourth edition of the Powers Summit, which brings together government representatives, political forces and business in a discussion on the main challenges and opportunities for Bulgaria.

He made it clear that low birth rate is not among these problems.

One of the problems pointed out by Bardarov is the excessive mortality rate, which in his words is illogically high for a developed European country. The other problems are the acute deficit of a young active population, demographic territorial imbalances and the high percentage of uneducated Roma people, which currently totals about 800,000 people. He said that over 85% of Roma have less than secondary education. He warned that if this trend continues, by 2050 there will be over a million people outside the labour force in Bulgaria.

"The notion that the biggest demographic problem is the birth rate is absurd", Bardarov said, adding that Bulgaria ranks third in the EU in terms of birth rate but first in the world in terms of mortality.

The solutions mentioned by Bardarov are a radical reform of the education system, social infrastructure for an equal distribution of the population, including the construction of kindergartens and schools, a proactive immigration policy, raising the health culture of the population. I am convinced that Bulgaria has a future, Bardarov added.