Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

NSI: 201 ghost villages in Bulgaria without a single inhabitant

Photo: .nsi.bg

Sofia is the largest municipality in Bulgaria by population, while Plovdiv has overtaken Varna to take second place. Burgas retains its position as the country's fourth largest city, while Stara Zagora now ranks fifth, displacing Ruse. 


These shifts in the ranking of the 20 largest municipalities by population have been recorded by the National Statistical Institute for the period from 2014 to 2023. In particular, Kardzhali has experienced remarkable growth, rising from 19th to 16th place.


As of 31 December 2023, there were 201 settlements without a single inhabitant, mainly concentrated in the central Balkan region, in the regions of Veliko Tarnovo (67), Gabrovo (67), Kyustendil (10) and Kardzhali (9). In addition, 1,453 villages, representing 27.6% of the settlements, have populations ranging from 1 to 49 persons. Notably, there are six cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, accounting for 35.2% of the total population.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Photo: FB/Consulate General of Bulgaria in Los Angeles

BgFACE distinguishes Bulgarians on the U.S. West Coast for third year in a row

A world-famous Bulgarian actor and a surgeon won recognition at the third edition of the Bulgarian Awards for Arts, Science, Education and Culture in Los Angeles, the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Los Angeles announced via its Facebook account...

published on 10/27/24 5:39 PM
Erevan, Armenia

Tsvetana Paskaleva, Yerevan: Let there be peace, politicians should keep young people in Bulgaria

We Bulgarians know that Bulgaria and Armenia have close relations of friendship and cooperation, built on the basis of centuries of historical and cultural ties between the two nations. There are many respected personalities from the Armenian diaspora..

published on 10/27/24 5:25 PM
Didi Hatcher

Didi Hatcher from Boston: I'll vote again and again...as many times as I need to

The building of the Bulgarian Center in New England, USA, which also houses the Bulgarian School and the Bulgarian Church in Boston, hosts one of the two election commissions in the area. "Pre-voting applications for this election overall..

published on 10/27/24 3:39 PM