Bulgaria remains one of the European Union countries most seriously affected by demographic decline, as the number of deaths continues to significantly exceed the number of births. While the EU population recorded a slight increase in 2025, largely driven by migration, Bulgaria continues to lose residents because of one of the highest negative natural growth rates in Europe.
According to Eurostat data, the population of the European Union stood at 452.0 million people on January 1, 2026, marking an increase of 705,756 people compared with the previous year. The growth rate, however, remains limited at just 0.2%, or around 1.6 additional people per 1,000 inhabitants.
The increase was not caused by demographic renewal, but by migration. During 2025, EU countries registered 4.81 million deaths compared with 3.46 million births, resulting in a negative natural balance of 1.35 million people.
This decline was offset by net migration, which reached 2.05 million people and allowed the EU population to rise by approximately 700,000 people overall.
Bulgaria continues to rank among the countries with the most severe demographic problems in the bloc. In 2025, the country was among 11 EU member states where the population declined, as migration was not strong enough to compensate for the natural decrease.
