Census: Bulgaria population drops to lowest level in 60 years

[Tender Branson]

According to express results of Census 2011:

• The country's population is 7,351,234 people.

• The number of counted dwellings was 3,898,688, on the average 1.9 people live in one dwelling.

• For the past 10 years (since the previous census in 2001 till now) the population has decreased by 581,750 people.

• Two thirds (67%) of the decrease in population is due to negative natural growth (more deaths than persons born) and one third (33%) due to emigration. In other words, Bulgarian population has decreased by 389,087 people due to the larger number of deaths than births and by 192,663 people due to emigration.



http://www.nsi.bg/EPDOCS/Census2011pr_en.pdf

[GMantis]

Hey, I was about to post that
Anyway, there is an optimistic note in this census, though it's like in that joke: "The growth of the decline of our economy has decreased!". The period between the 1992 and the 2001 censuses was 8 years and something and the one between 2001 and 2011 was nearly 10 years, so in relative terms the population decline is slightly lower this time around (of course, it's a difference of 0.05% per year).
It seems that while the decline due to natural growth is nearly the same (despite recent increase in the birth rates), decline due to immigration is lower. Quite surprising, when you consider that immigrating was much easier in the 2001-2011 period than the 1992-2001 one, what with visa free travel and Bulgaria joining the EU.
And ironically many people living in the cities (and especially the big ones) feel that it's becoming ever more crowded, what with the rural population lower than what it was in 1878.   

[memphis]

At least it's not due to war, famine, or disease