Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria’s population shrinks by over half a million in the space of 10 years

Photo: BNR, archive

In the space of 10 years the population of Bulgaria has dwindled by 590,000 people. At the same time the number of poor pensioners has gone up by 128,000, and of poor children – by more than 17,000, Ivan Krastev, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy announced.

In his words there is no adequate social protection policy in the country for the most vulnerable – pensioners and children. By way of an example Deputy Minister Krastev pointed to the fact that the monthly child benefits in the country have gone by only 5 Leva (2.56 euro) over the past 10 years. 

At this time 1.6 million Bulgarians are living below the poverty line, and almost 500,000 earn a minimum salary, which accounts for 29% of all working people in the country. 



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

Sun and rain on the first day of the week

On Monday before noon, sunny weather will prevail . In the afternoon, it will mainly rain in the southern half of the country.  Minimum temperatures will be between 6°C and 11°C, in Sofia - about 6°C, and highs - between 16°C and 21°C, in..

published on 5/11/25 6:25 PM

Rumen Radev hopes that MPs will fulfill their commitments to democracy

“I hope that our MPs will fulfill their commitments not only to the eurozone, but also to democracy . It is surprising that people who call themselves the greatest democrats declare themselves against democracy.” This is how President Rumen Radev..

published on 5/11/25 4:18 PM

Poverty levels in Bulgaria are rising

More than a fifth of Bulgarians are poor, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economics. People living in deficit are increasing to 21.7% based on data on unemployment, low education, higher number of children in the household, older..

published on 5/11/25 11:27 AM