Demographic history of Bulgaria

Last updated January 21, 2024

31 December 1880 census

Religion^[1]
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	1,404,409	69.9
Muslim	578,060	28.7
Judaism	14,342	0.7
Other	11,108	0.5
Total	2,007,919	100

Language
Language	Number	%
Bulgarian	1,345,507	67.0
Turkish	527,284	26.2
"Vlach" (Aromanian and Romanian)	49,064	2.4
Roma	37,600	1.8
Ladino	14,020	0.7
Tatar	12,376	0.6
Greek	11,152	0.6
Armenian	3,837	0.2
Serbo-Croatian	1,894	0.1
Yaddish	1,280	0.1
Russian	1,123	0.1
Albanian	530	0.0
Italian	515	0.0
Hungarian	220	0.0
Czech	174	0.0
French	164	0.0
Arab	97	0.0
Polish	92	0.0
English	64	0.0
Circassian	63	0.0
Persian	58	0.0
Others	402	0.0
Total	2,007,919	100

31 December 1887 census

Religion ^[2]
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	2,242,371	76.8
Muslim	676,215	21.4
Judaism	24,352	0.7
Roman Catholic	18,505	0.5
Armenian Gregorian	5,839	0.1
Protestant	1,358	0.0
Other	1,461	0.0
Undeclared	2,274	0.0
Total	3,154,375	100

Language
Language	Number	%
Bulgarian	2,326,250	73.7
Turkish	607,331	19.3
Greek	58,326	1.8
Roma	50,291	1.6
Other
Total	3,154,375	100

31 December 1892 census

Ethnic groups ^[3]
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	2,505,243	75.66
Turks	558,364	16.86
Romanians	62,227	1.87
Greeks	58,296	1.76
Romani	51,946	1.56
Jews	21,777	0.83
Tatars	16,179	0.48
Gagauzes	9,520	0.28
Armenians	6,900	0.20
"Vlachs" (Aromanians, Romanians, Romanian-speaking Boyash)	733	0.02
Others	13,616	0.41
Total	3,310,810	100

Religion ^[4]
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	2,606,786	78.7
Muslim	643,258	19.4
Jewish	28,307	0.8
Roman Catholic	22,617	0.6
Armenian Grecorian	6,643	0.2
Protestant	2,384	0.0
Undeclared	718	0.0
Total	3,310,713	100

Language
Language	Number	%
Bulgarian	2,505,326	75.7
Turkish	569,728	17.2
Romanian	62,628	1.9
Greek	58,518	1.8
Roma	52,132	1.6
Ladino	27,531	0.8
Tatar	16,920	0.5
Armenian	6,445	0.2
German	3,620	0.1
Russian	928	0.0
Serbian	818	0.0
Italian	803	0.0
French	356	0.0
Others	4,425	0.1
Undeclared	1,165	0.0
Total	3,310,713	100

31 December 1900 census

Ethnic groups ^[5]
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	2,888,129	77.1
Turks	531,240	14.2
Romani	89,549	2.4
Romanians	71,063	1.9
Greeks	66,635	1.8
Jews	33,661	0.9
Tatars	19,884	0.5
Armenians	14,581	0.4
Russians	1,685	0.0
Total	3,744,283	100

Religion ^[6]
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	3,019,999	80.6
Muslim	643,300	17.1
Judaism	33,663	0.8
Roman Catholic	28,569	0.7
Armenian Grecorian	13,809	0.3
Protestant	4,524	0.1
Others	326	0.0
Undeclared	93	0.0
Total	3,744,283	100

31 December 1905 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	3,203,810	79.4
Turks	488,010	12.1
Romani	99,004	2.5
Romanians	75,773	1.9
Greeks	63,487	1.6
Jews	37,663	0.9
Tatars	17,942	0.4
Gagauzes	10,175	0.3
Sarakatsani	6,128	0.2
Russians	3,275	0.2
Total	4,035,575	100

31 December 1910 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Numbers	%
Bulgarians	3,518,756	81.1
Turks	465,641	10.7
Romani	122,296	2.8
Romanians	79,429	1.8
Greeks	43,275	1.0
Jews	40,133	0.9
Tatars	18,228	0.4
Armenians	12,932	0.3
Sarakatsani	7,251	0.2
Russians	2,505	0.2
Total	4,337,513	100

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	3,643,918	84.0
Muslim	602,078	13.8
Judaism	40,067	0.9
Roman Catholic	32,150	0.7
Armenian Grecorian	12,259	0.2
Protestant	6,335	0.1
Other/Undeclared	706	0.0
Total	4,337,513	100

31 December 1920 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Numbers	%
Bulgarians	4,036,056	83.3
Turks	520,339	10.7
Romani	98,451	2.0
Romanians	57,312	1.2
Jews	43,209	0.9
Greeks	42,074	0.9
Armenians	11,509	0.2
Russians	9,080	0.2
Total	4,846,971	100

1. During the period 1910 - 1920 Bulgaria suffered physical loss of population as follows:

About 140,000 died in the wars (Balkan War I, Balkan War II, World War I), mostly of reproductive age;
About 276,000 people in Southern Dobruja, who cross into Romania, and more on the western outskirts, who cross into Serbia.

2. During the period 1910 - 1920 the population growth in Bulgaria was as follows:

It is estimated that about 350,000 refugees were sent to Bulgaria, losing territories during the Balkan War ll and the World War I. It is known, however, that a large part of the refugees from the Aegean and Edirne Thrace returned to their native places after the first wave, after which they immigrated to Bulgaria again in 1923;
Bulgaria includes new suburbs won during the Balkan War I and the World War I - Pirin Macedonia and parts of the Rhodopes and Thrace.

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	4,062,097	83.8
Muslim	690,734	14,2
Judaism	43,232	0.8
Roman Catholic	34,072	0.7
Armenian Grecorian	10,848	0.2
Protestant	5,617	0.1
Other/Undeclared	371	0.0
Total	4,846,971	100

31 December 1926 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	4,557,706	83.2
Turks	577,552	10.5
Romani	134,844	2.5
Romanians	69,080	1.2
Jews	46,558	0.8
Armenians	27,332	0.5
Russians	19,706	0.4
Greeks	10,564	0.2
Tatars	6,191	0.1
Gagauzes	4,362	0.1
Total	5,528,741	100

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	4,569,074	83.3
Muslim	789,296	14.4
Judaism	46,431	0.8
Roman Catholic	40,347	0.7
Armenian Grecorian	25,402	0.4
Protestant	6,735	0.1
Other/Undeclared	1,456	0.0
Total	5,478,741	100

31 December 1934 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	5,204,217	85.6
Turks	591,193	9.7
Romani	149,385	2.5
Jews	48,565	0.8
Armenians	25,963	0.4
Romanians	16,504	0.3
Russians	11,928	0.2
Greeks	9,601	0.2
Total	6,077,939	100

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	5,128,890	84.3
Muslim	821,298	13.5
Judaism	48,398	0.7
Roman Catholic	45,704	0.7
Armenian Grecorian	23,476	0.3
Protestant	8,371	0.1
Other/Undeclared	1,802	0.0
Total	6,077,939	100

31 December 1946 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	5,903,580	84.0
Turks	675,500	9.6
Romani	170,011	2.4
Macedonians	169,544	2.4
Jews	44,209	0.6
Armenians	21,637	0.3
Russians	13,200	0.2
Total	7,029,349	100

South Dobruja passes on the territory of Bulgaria.

There are strong indications that in the 1946 census the population was forced to list as ethnic Macedonians against their will by the communist government in accordance with an agreement with Yugoslavia.^[7]

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	5,967,992	84.9
Muslim
Judaism	43,335	0.6
Total	7,029,349	100

1 December 1956 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	6.506,541	85.5
Turks	656,025	8.6
Romani	197,865	2.6
Macedonians	187,789	2.5
Armenians	21,954	0.3
Russians	10,551	0.1
Greeks	7,437	0.1
Jews	6,027	0.1
Tatars	5,993	0.1
Romanians	3,749	0.0
Sarakatsani	2,085	0.0
Others	13,199	0.2
Total	7,613,709	100

There are strong indications that in the 1956 census the population was forced to list as ethnic Macedonians against their will by the communist government in accordance with an agreement with Yugoslavia.

1 December 1965 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	7,231,243	87.9
Turks	780,928	9.5
Romani	148,874	1.8
Armenians	20,282	0.2
Russians	10,815	0.1
Macedonians	9,632	0.1
Greeks	8,241	0.1
Tatars	6,430	0.1
Jews	5,108	0.1
Total	8,227,966	100

1 December 1975 census

Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	7,930,024	90.9
Turks	730,728	8.4
Romani	18,323	0.2
Armenians	14,526	0.2
Tatars	5,963	0.1
Jews	3,076	0.0
Total	8,727,771	100

4 December 1985 census


	Number	%
Total	8,948,649	100

4 December 1992 census

Ethnic groups ^[8]
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	7,271,185	85.7
Turks	800,052	9.4
Romani	313,396	3.7
Russians	17,139	0.2
Armenians	13,677	0.2
Macedonians	10,803	0.1
"Vlachs" (Aromanians, Romanians, Romanian-speaking Boyash)	5,159	0.1
Sarakatsani	5,144	0.1
Greeks	4,930	0.1
Tatars	4,515	0.1
Jews	3,461	0.0
Romanians	2,491	0.0
Ukrainians	1,864	0.0
Gagauzes	1,478	0.0
Others	23,542	0.3
Undeclared	8,481	0.1
Total	8,487,317	100

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	7,274,592	85.7
Muslim	1,110,295	13.0
Roman Catholicism	53,074	0.6
Protestant	21,878	0.2
Armenian Grecorian	9.672	0.1
Judaism	2,580	0.0
Other	15,226	0.1
Total	8,487,317	100

1 March 2001 census

Share of Gypsies on the lands of the settlements. BGRoma.png — Share of Gypsies on the lands of the settlements.

Ethnic groups ^[9]
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	6,655,210	83.9
Turks	746,664	9.4
Romani	370,908	4.7
Russians	15,595	0.2
Armenians	10,832	0.1
"Vlachs" (Aromanians, Romanians, Romanian-speaking Boyash)	10,566	0.1
Macedonians	5,071	0.1
Sarakatsani	4,107	0.1
Greeks	3,408	0.0
Ukrainians	2,489	0.0
Tatars	1,803	0.0
Jews	1,363	0.0
Romanians	1,088	0.0
Gagauzes	540	0.0
Others	3,342	0.2
Undeclared	86,915	1.1
Total	7,932,984	100

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	6,552,751	82.6
Muslim	966,978	12.1
Roman Catholic	43,811	0.5
Protestant	42,308	0.5
Other	14,937	0.1
Undeclared	308,116	3.9
Total	7,928,901	100

Language
Language	Number	%
Bulgarian	6,697,158	84.6
Turkish	762,516	9.6
Roma	327,882	4.13
Other	71,084	0.9
Undeclared	70,261	0.9
Total	7,928,901	100

1 February 2011 census

Ethnic groups ^[10]
Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	5,664,624	84.8
Turks	588,318	8.8
Romani	325,343	4.9
Russians	9,978	0.1
Armenians	6,552	0.1
"Vlachs" (Aromanians, Romanians, Romanian-speaking Boyash)	3,684	0.1
Sarakatsani	2,556	0.0
Ukrainians	1,789	0.0
Macedonians	1,654	0.0
Greeks	1,379	0.0
Jews	1,162	0.0
Romanians	891	0.0
Others	19,659	0.3
Undeclared	736,981	10.0
Total	7,364,570	100

The 2011 percentage of the ethnic groups is calculated only from those who answered the optional question on ethnicity (6,680,980 in total) and does not include around 750,000 people who did not answer the question or 10% from the population.

Religion
Religion	Number	%
Orthodox	4,374,135	59.3
Muslim	577,139	7.8
Protestant	64,476	0.8
Roman Catholic	48,945	0.6
Others	11,444	0.1
Atheism	272,264	3.6
Undeclared	2,016,167	27.4
Total	7,364,570	100

Language
Language	Number	%
Bulgarian	5,659,024	85.2
Turkish	605,802	9.1
Roma	281,217	4.2
Russians	15,808	0.2
Armenian	5,615	0.0
Romanian	5,523	0.0
Greek	3,224	0.0
"Vlach" (Aromanian and Romanian)	1,826	0.0
Ukrainian	1,755	0.0
Macedonian	1,404	0.0
Arabic	1,397	0.0
Tatar	1,372	0.0
Other	10,623	0.1
Undeclared	47,564	0.7
Total returns	6,642,154	100
Total population	7,364,570

7 September 2021 census


Ethnic groups	Number	%
Bulgarians	5,118,494	78.5
Turks	508,378	7.8
Romani	266,720	4.1
Russians	14,218	0.2
Armenians	5,306	0.1
Ukrainians	3,239	0.0
Sarakatsani	2,071	0.0
Vlachs	1,643	0.0
Greeks	1,625	0.0
Jews	1,153	0.0
Macedonians	1,143	0.0
Tatars	1,129	0.0
Romanians	683	0.0
Others	32,210	0.5
Undeclared	547,191	8.4
Total	6,519,789	100

Related Research Articles

Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time; however, it came to be defined as the modern geographical region by the mid-19th century. Today the region is considered to include parts of six Balkan countries: all of North Macedonia, large parts of Greece and Bulgaria, and smaller parts of Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo. It covers approximately 67,000 square kilometres (25,869 sq mi) and has a population of around five million. Greek Macedonia comprises about half of Macedonia's area and population.

Demographic features of the population of North Macedonia include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The demography of the Republic of Bulgaria is monitored by the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. Demographic features of the population of Bulgaria include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and others.

The region of Macedonia is known to have been inhabited since Paleolithic times.

Western Thrace or Aegean Thrace, also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and historical region of Greece, between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country; East Thrace, which lies east of the river Evros, forms the European part of Turkey, and the area to the north, in Bulgaria, is known as Northern Thrace.

After the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the 1878 Treaty of Berlin set up an autonomous state, the Principality of Bulgaria, within the Ottoman Empire. Although remaining under Ottoman sovereignty, it functioned independently, taking Alexander of Battenberg as its first prince in 1879. In 1885 Alexander took control of the still-Ottoman Eastern Rumelia, officially under a personal union. Following Prince Alexander's abdication (1886), a Bulgarian Assembly elected Ferdinand I as prince in 1887. Full independence from Ottoman control was declared in 1908.

Bulgarian Turks are ethnic Turks from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of the population, making them the country's largest ethnic minority. Bulgarian Turks also comprise the largest single population of Turks in the Balkans. They primarily live in the southern province of Kardzhali and the northeastern provinces of Shumen, Silistra, Razgrad and Targovishte. There is also a diaspora outside Bulgaria in countries such as Turkey, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Romania, the most significant of which are the Bulgarian Turks in Turkey.

The Tsardom of Bulgaria, also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom, sometimes translated in English as the "Kingdom of Bulgaria", or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on 5 October 1908, when the Bulgarian state was raised from a principality to a tsardom.

The history of Bulgaria during World War II encompasses an initial period of neutrality until 1 March 1941, a period of alliance with the Axis Powers until 8 September 1944, and a period of alignment with the Allies in the final year of the war. Bulgarian military forces occupied with German consent parts of the Kingdoms of Greece and Yugoslavia which Bulgarian irredentism claimed on the basis of the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano. Bulgaria resisted Axis pressure to join the war against the Soviet Union, which began on 22 June 1941, but did declare war on Britain and the United States on 13 December 1941. The Red Army entered Bulgaria on 8 September 1944; Bulgaria declared war on Germany the next day.

Bulgarian irredentism is a term to identify the territory associated with a historical national state and a modern Bulgarian irredentist nationalist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, which would include most of Macedonia, Thrace and Moesia.

In the 19th century, the national revival in the Balkans began; national and religious antagonism flared, and conflict was heightened by the Ottoman policy of playing one group against the other. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire lost control over the major sections of Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria, each of which claimed Macedonia on historical or ethnical grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Macedonia</span> Irredentist concept among Macedonian nationalists

United Macedonia, or Greater Macedonia, is an irredentist concept among Macedonian nationalists that aims to unify the transnational region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe into a single state that would be dominated by ethnic Macedonians. The proposed capital of such a United Macedonia is the city of Thessaloniki, the capital of Greek Macedonia, which ethnic Macedonians and the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito had planned to incorporate into their own states.

Turks of Western Thrace are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the province of East Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece.

Andon Kalchev was a Bulgarian army officer, one of the leaders of the Bulgarian-backed Ohrana, a paramilitary formation of Bulgarians in Greek Macedonia during World War II Axis occupation. He was active outside the Bulgarian occupied area of Macedonia, under the tolerance of the Italian and German authorities which used him in their fights with rival Greek EAM-ELAS and Yugoslav Communist resistance groups. Because of his collaborationist activity, he was sentenced to death by Greek military tribunal, and was executed by firing squad on 27 August 1948.

The history of Macedonians has been shaped by population shifts and political developments in the southern Balkans, especially within the region of Macedonia. The ideas of separate Macedonian identity grew in significance after the First World War, both in Vardar and among the left-leaning diaspora in Bulgaria, and were endorsed by the Comintern. During the Second World War, these ideas were supported by the Communist Partisans, but the decisive point in the ethnogenesis of these South Slavic people was the creation of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia after World War II, as a new state in the framework of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria are a group in Bulgaria concentrated within Blagoevgrad Province and the capital Sofia. Per 2021 Bulgarian census they are 1,143 people but are not recognised as an ethnic minority.

Slavic speakers are a minority population in the northern Greek region of Macedonia, who are mostly concentrated in certain parts of the peripheries of West and Central Macedonia, adjacent to the territory of the state of North Macedonia. Their dialects are called today "Slavic" in Greece, while generally they are considered Macedonian. Some members have formed their own emigrant communities in neighbouring countries, as well as further abroad.

Thracians or Thracian Bulgarians are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or native to Thrace. Today, the larger part of this population is concentrated in Northern Thrace, but much is spread across the whole of Bulgaria and the diaspora.

The Turks in Europe refers to Turkic peoples living in Europe, particularly those of Turkish origin.

Bulgarian Millet was an ethno-religious and linguistic community within the Ottoman Empire from the mid-19th to early 20th century.

References

↑ statlib.nsi.bg:8181, 2017-03-03, archived from the original on 2017-03-03
↑ "A brief historical account of the population censuses in Bulgaria". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.
↑ "Principality of Bulgaria in historical and geographical terms". Archived from the original on 2016-01-07.
↑ "Structure of the population by religion". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.
↑ "Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group". Archived from the original on 2018-06-09.
↑ "Structure of the population by religion". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.
↑ Minority Policy in Bulgaria. The Policy of the Bulgarian Communist Party towards Jews, Roma, Pomaks and Turks 1944-1989. Ulrich Büchsenschütz. IMIR, Sofia, 2000, p. 5; (in Bulgarian).
↑ "6.1 European population committee (The demographic characteristics of the main ethnic/national minorities in Bulgaria". Archived from the original on 2017-02-04.
↑ "POPULATION AS OF 1 MARCH 2001 BY DISTRICT AND ETHNIC GROUP (Inhabitants as of 1 March 2001 by province and ethnic group)". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.
↑ "Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group". Archived from the original on 2017-05-30.

External links

2011 Bulgaria census site from the National Statistical Institute (Bulgaria)
2021 Bulgaria census site from the National Statistical Institute (Bulgaria)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] statlib.nsi.bg:8181, 2017-03-03, archived from the original on 2017-03-03

[2] "A brief historical account of the population censuses in Bulgaria". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.

[3] "Principality of Bulgaria in historical and geographical terms". Archived from the original on 2016-01-07.

[4] "Structure of the population by religion". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.

[5] "Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group". Archived from the original on 2018-06-09.

[6] "Structure of the population by religion". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.

[7] Minority Policy in Bulgaria. The Policy of the Bulgarian Communist Party towards Jews, Roma, Pomaks and Turks 1944-1989. Ulrich Büchsenschütz. IMIR, Sofia, 2000, p. 5; (in Bulgarian).

[8] "6.1 European population committee (The demographic characteristics of the main ethnic/national minorities in Bulgaria". Archived from the original on 2017-02-04.

[9] "POPULATION AS OF 1 MARCH 2001 BY DISTRICT AND ETHNIC GROUP (Inhabitants as of 1 March 2001 by province and ethnic group)". Archived from the original on 2004-03-15.

[10] "Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group". Archived from the original on 2017-05-30.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

v t e Demographic history of Europe
Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria
Dependencies and other entities	Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard