Urban population in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Urban population was 4.77 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Bulgaria, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Bulgaria stood at 4.77 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Bulgaria peaked at 5.99 million in 1988 and was at its lowest, 2.92 million, in 1960.
That places Bulgaria 101st out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.92 million | — |
| 1961 | 3.05 million | +4.5% |
| 1962 | 3.15 million | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 3.25 million | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 3.51 million | +7.7% |
| 1965 | 3.75 million | +7.0% |
| 1966 | 3.88 million | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 3.99 million | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 4.10 million | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 4.27 million | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 4.44 million | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 4.59 million | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 4.73 million | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 4.85 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 5.04 million | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 5.06 million | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 5.12 million | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 5.23 million | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 5.33 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 5.43 million | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 5.51 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 5.60 million | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 5.70 million | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 5.78 million | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 5.88 million | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 5.82 million | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 5.85 million | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.92 million | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 5.99 million | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 5.98 million | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 5.84 million | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 5.79 million | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 5.73 million | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 5.71 million | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 5.72 million | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 5.70 million | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 5.66 million | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 5.62 million | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 5.60 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 5.59 million | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 5.58 million | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 5.54 million | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 5.45 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 5.43 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 5.40 million | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 5.37 million | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 5.36 million | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 5.33 million | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 5.31 million | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 5.31 million | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 5.29 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 5.34 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 5.32 million | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.22 million | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 5.17 million | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.11 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 5.04 million | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 4.99 million | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 4.94 million | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 4.88 million | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.80 million | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 4.77 million | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 4.75 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 4.75 million | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 4.76 million | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 4.77 million | +0.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 4.77 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 2.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 4.77 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.59 million, 1.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.59 million | 2.92 million | 4.27 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.98 million | 4.44 million | 5.43 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.80 million | 5.51 million | 5.99 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.70 million | 5.59 million | 5.84 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.41 million | 5.31 million | 5.58 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.13 million | 4.88 million | 5.34 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.77 million | 4.75 million | 4.80 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More climate change data for Bulgaria
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 176.16 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,923 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 704.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,219 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 79.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,439 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,346 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 92.96 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Bulgaria?
- Urban population in Bulgaria was 4.77 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.99 million in 1988.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.92 million in 1960.
- How does Bulgaria rank for urban population?
- Bulgaria ranks 101st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.