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

Analysis of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences with alarming insights

Bulgaria in 10 years - overcrowded cities and depopulated territories

Photo: BGNES

Huge territories in Bulgaria are already abandoned, their people are gradually dying out. This is shown by an analysis of the declining demographic and economic viability of 75% of the municipalities in Bulgaria by the Institute for Population and Human Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
The main reasons for this are advanced biological ageing and lack of birth rates in some settlements. There are areas where not a single child has been born in the last 30 years, BTA reported. 

In the next decade, Bulgaria will end up with several overpopulated urban centres at the expense of depopulated remaining territories that are losing population and resources, the analysis shows. The regions most affected by depopulation are Western and North-Western Bulgaria, the Strandzha-Sakar and Central Balkan regions, the towns of Gabrovo and Lovech. 

According to the experts, in order to solve this problem, information needs to be gathered and a development strategy needs to be drawn up for the specific regions. Among the ideas is the creation of "model" settlements to attract people to live there. 

According to the researchers, the period around the Covid-19 pandemic saw a so-called "reverse migration" - from cities to villages - but these were short-term waves.


Read also:




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

Dzhevdet Chakarov (L) and Delyan Peevski (R)

The political forces see changes in the political configuration following the rift in DPS

Most political forces in parliament commented on what is happening in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) as internal problems of DPS. According to the chairman of the GERB-SDS parliamentary group, Boyko Borissov, the fact that there is a..

published on 7/11/24 5:19 PM
Ramadan Atalay

Two more MPs leave MRF parliamentary group

After 17 MPs from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, MRF, were expelled, among them the party’s other co-chair Dzevdet Chakarov, MRF MP Ahmed Vranchev expressed, in written form, a desire to leave the Movement’s parliamentary group. DPS..

published on 7/11/24 4:43 PM

ALDE could expel the Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Several European liberal parties have sent a letter to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) to demand that Delyan Peevski be monitored, pointing out that he has been sanctioned for corruption by the US under the Global Magnitsky..

published on 7/11/24 3:23 PM