The birth rate is one of the main factors influencing the number and structures of the population.

Since the beginning of the 1950s, a permanent trend of decreasing birth rates has been observed in the country, NSI reported.

The reasons for this are many and different during the different periods of the demographic development of Bulgaria.

The change in the family model, the changing socio-economic environment, the general reduction of the population, in particular of the fertile contingents, the postponement of marriage and the birth of the first child and, last but not least, the emigration from the country mainly of the working-age population .


The main factors that determine the level of birth rate and reproduction of the population are the size of the birth contingents and their fertility.

And while at the beginning of the last century the birth rate was mainly influenced by the size of the fertile contingents, as fertility was high, with the changes in the family model and the role of women in society in recent decades, fertility has become increasingly important .

Roma - 4.4% of the Bulgarian population, Turks -8.4%



The number of women of childbearing age increased until 1975, reaching 2,178 thousand, after which it began to decrease to reach 1,295 thousand women per age 15 - 49 years old at the census in 2021.

The biggest decrease was registered in the last ten-year period (2011 - 2021) - 377 thousand, or 22.5%.



The fertility rate also saw a decline from 6.97 children in 1900 to 1.58 in 2021.

In the last ten years, the indicator has remained at levels above 1.5, but nevertheless its value is not sufficient for simple reproduction of the population.



The rich set of data collected during the population censuses in our country allows to assess the relationship between the birth rate and the main demographic, ethno-cultural and socio-economic characteristics of women.

For the purposes of the birth rate study, the indicator average number of live births was used in this material.



As of September 7, 2021, 748,000 or 24.7% of women aged 12 and over had one live birth.

This share is higher among women who live in cities (27.1%) than among those who live in villages - 17.6%.

The absolute number and the relative share of women with two children are the highest - 1,353 thousand (44.6%).

Poverty: 75% of Bulgarians find it difficult to make ends meet

204,000 or 6.7% of women have three children each, and this share is twice as high in villages than in cities - 11.3 and 5.1%, respectively.

78,000 or 2.6% of women have four or more children.



A little more than a fifth of women - 650 thousand (21.4%) do not have children at the critical moment of the census.



As of September 7, 2021, the average number of live births per woman aged 12 and over was 1.47.

This indicator is higher in villages (1.75) than in cities (1.37).