Birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased by 33% over the past three decades. In 1994, 79,442 live births were registered in the country, while in 2024 the number dropped to 53,428. 6.5% of Bulgarian children are now born through in vitro fertilization procedures. The data were presented at a press conference by the Bulgarian Association of Sterility and Reproductive Health, BGNES reported. It was also noted that the average success rate of reproductive procedures in Bulgaria stands at 26.3%.

An increasing number of couples are postponing parenthood. The average age of mothers at the birth of their first child has now reached 27.6 years. The birth rate is 8.3‰, and the average number of children born per woman is only 1.72, which is below the 2.1 replacement level. Bulgaria ranks among the EU countries with the fastest-aging populations, with people over 65 already accounting for 24% of the total population.

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Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BTA