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Bulgaria — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for Bulgaria, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
-0.13%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · -113.2% since 1961
Population growth for Bulgaria was -0.13% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 0.96% in 1961. The lowest was -2.17% in 2002 (about 17.2× the latest value).
Bulgaria ranks 181 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 83%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 0.30%, so Bulgaria sits below it. It peaked in 1961 and has fallen 113% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 90%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
-0.13%
First (1961)
0.96%
Change
-113.2%
Highest
0.96%
in 1961
Lowest
-2.17%
in 2002
Average
-0.31%
Annual growth (CAGR)
—
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.13% |
| 2024 | -0.08% |
| 2023 | -0.29% |
| 2022 | -0.65% |
| 2021 | -0.66% |
| 2020 | -1% |
| 2019 | -1.41% |
| 2018 | -1.37% |
| 2017 | -1.32% |
| 2016 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | -1.27% |
| 2014 | -1.21% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.