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Situation
Located in the Balkan Peninsula in the south East of Europe, Bulgaria has about 8 million inhabitants and occupies 110 993 sq km, about 1/5 of the territory of France. The country is surrounded in the north by Rumania, Greece in the south, Turkey in the South-East, Serbia and Macedonia in the West and the shores of the Black Sea in the East.
Demography Bulgarian population With 83 % Bulgarians, the population is relatively homogeneous. The minorities, which were reduced following exoduses mainly after the Second World war, are today essentially Turkish (8,5 %), this one being concentrated around the towns of Haskovo and Shumen above all, Roms (2,6 %) and Macedonians (2,5 %). Ethniques groups: Bulgarian 83 % - Turks 8,5 % - Roms 2,6 % - Macedonians 2,5 % - others 3 % (of which Armenian, Tatars, Circassiens) Religions: Bulgarian Orthodoxe 82,6 % - Moslems 12,2 % - Roman Catholics 1,7 % - Jews 0,1 % - Protestants, Gregorian, Armenian and others 3,4 % Elimination of illiteracy: Definition: people of more than 15 years of age can read and write - total individuals: 98,6 % - men: 99,1 % - women: 98,2 % (2003 are.) Source: The CIA World factbook 2004 According to the last census led in March 2001, the Bulgarian population counts 7 707 495 inhabitants, and with a negative annual natural rate of increase (-0,92 %). the rate of fertility rate stands at 1,34 child/woman, that is to say one of the lowest of the region. The country is also marked by a strong emigration and an increase in the death rate. A journalist of a Bulgarian daily newspaper calculated that, taking into account the weak birth rate and if the current of immigration continued, the Bulgarian population would be 0 in 2060. The average life expectancy is 71,5 years with 68,14 years for men and 75,59 years for women. The ageing of the population will pose in the medium term, as in a number of countries, the problem of the financing of the retirements, the reduction of the domestic consumption and the competitiveness of the country. Demography of Bulgaria Population: 7517973 (July 2004 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14,4 % (men 553801; women 526856) - 15-64 years: 68,5 % (men 2533784; women 2615968) - 65 years and more: 17,1 % (men 535954; women 751610) (2004 est.) Median age: total: 40,5 years - men: 38,4 years - women: 42,4 years (2004 est.) Growth rate of the population: -0,92 % (2004 est.) Birth rate: 9,65 naissances/1000 individuals (2004 est.) Death rate: 14,25 décès/1000 individuals (2004 est.) Net rate of migration: -4,58 migrant(s)/1000 individuals (2004 est.) Average life expectancy at birth: total individuals: 71,75 years - men: 68,14 years - women: 75,59 years (2004 est.) Fertility rate:1,37 child né(s)/femme (2004 are.) Source: The CIA World factbook 2004 The total population is 70,7 % urban, whereas this rate was only 24 % in 1946. The 255 municipalities are grouped in 28 regions. The average density is of 74,83 inhabitants/km². The population is concentrated in the regions of Sofia and the valleys of the Danube and Maritsa. |
