site.btaBulgaria's Population at 7,000,039 - Statistics

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Bulgaria's
Population
at 7,000,039 - Statistics


Sofia, April 12 (BTA) - As of December 31, 2018, Bulgaria's population totalled 7,000,039 people, 1.4 per cent of the EU population, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reported on Friday. Compared to 2017, this country's population decreased by 49,995 people.

A total of 62,197 live births were registered in Bulgaria in 2018, which is 1,758 fewer than the previous year.

There were 108,526 deaths in 2018, which is 1,265 fewer than in 2017. The total mortality rate stood at 15.4 per 1,000 population, the press release said.

The population aging process continues. There were a total of 1,493,119 people aged 65 or older at the end of 2018, which makes up 21.3 per cent of this country's population. Compared to 2017, the share of this age group has increased by 0.3 percentage points.

Broken down into regions, the 65 plus age group is most prevalent in the northwestern region of Vidin (29.6 per cent), the central region of Gabrovo (28.6 per cent) and the western region of Kyustendil (27.3 per cent). There are a total of 20 regions in Bulgaria where the share of this age group is above the national average. Sofia city and the coastal region of Varna have the fewest elderly people (17.5 per cent and 18.9 per cent, respectively).

The average share of the 65 plus age group in the 28 EU Member States is 19.7 per cent, with it being the highest in Italy (22.6 per cent), followed by Greece (21.8 per cent) and Portugal (21.5 per cent). The share of this age group exceeds 20 per cent of the population in eight EU Member States, including Bulgaria.

Children under 15 added up to 1,004,845 as of December 31, 2018, which is 14.4 per cent of Bulgaria's total population. This age group has increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to 2017.

The relative share of the population under 15 is highest in the southeastern regions of Sliven (18.5 per cent) and Bourgas (15.6 per cent). This age group is below the national average in a total of 16 regions, with the lowest being the southern region of Smolyan (11.5 per cent) and Gabrovo (11.6).
The average age in Bulgaria has increased from 40.4 years in 2001 to 43.8 years at the end of 2018. The population is ageing in both cities and rural areas, where the average age is 42.8 and 46.4, respectively.