Bulgarian sees its population decline by 11.5% in a decade

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s population has declined by 11.5% in the past decade, according to first results from the 2021 census.  The National Statistical Institute said that the nation has shrunk by 844,000 people, from some 7.3 million in 2011 to 6.5 million today. Experts attribute the decline to low birth rates, high mortality, and a steady migration flow that has seen working-age people leaving to look for better jobs and education prospects in Western Europe and beyond. Bulgaria has for years been on the radars of the U.N. as one of the nations with the fastest shrinking population in the world.