Population in the largest city in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Population in the largest city was 27.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in the largest city in Bulgaria, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Bulgaria is 27.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Bulgaria peaked at 27.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 19.0%, in 1974.
Bulgaria ranks 86th of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 24.3% | — |
| 1961 | 23.8% | -1.8% |
| 1962 | 23.7% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 23.5% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 22.4% | -4.7% |
| 1965 | 21.5% | -4.1% |
| 1966 | 21.2% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 21.0% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 20.9% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 20.4% | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 20.0% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 19.7% | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 19.5% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 19.4% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 19.0% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 19.3% | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 19.4% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 19.4% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 19.4% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 19.4% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 19.5% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 19.5% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 19.6% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 19.7% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 20.3% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 20.4% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 20.1% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 19.9% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 19.9% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 20.4% | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 20.6% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 20.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 20.6% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 20.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 20.5% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 20.5% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 20.3% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 20.2% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 20.2% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 21.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 21.8% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 22.2% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 22.7% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 23.3% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 23.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 24.6% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 25.8% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 26.7% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 26.9% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 27.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 27.0% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 27.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.3% | 20.4% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.5% | 19.0% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.9% | 19.5% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.5% | 20.3% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 20.2% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 23.0% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.0% | 26.7% | 27.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More urban development data for Bulgaria
- Population density 59.38 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 19.68 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.29 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 11.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.29 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.15 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 173.14 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Bulgaria?
- Population in the largest city in Bulgaria was 27.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 27.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.0% in 1974.
- How does Bulgaria rank for population in the largest city?
- Bulgaria ranks 86th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.