Bulgaria is among the nine EU countries recording negative demographic processes, according to Eurostat's latest data regarding population growth rates.

In 2012, Bulgaria reported negative population growth of minus 42,000 people. Romania is the leader in the negative rankings with minus 58 000 people, followed by Lithuania with minus 45,000. The other EU countries recording negative demographic processes are Latvia (minus 33 000), Portugal (minus 30,000), Hungary (minus 28 000), Greece (minus 19,000), Croatia (minus 14 000) and Estonia (minus 5000).

Bulgaria also heads the ranking of negative natural increase among EU countries with minus 5.1 persons per 1000 inhabitants. Latvia and Hungary follow with minus 4.7 and minus 4.1 per 1,000 people.

The highest EU rates of natural increase for 2012 are reported in Ireland - 10 people per 1000 inhabitants, Cyprus - 4.8 per 1000, France - 4.2 per 1000, and the UK - 4.1 per 1,000.

The UK is the EU country with the highest population growth rates in 2012 on an annual basis with an increase of nearly 490,000 people. Other countries that reported population growth are France (plus 350 000 people), Italy (plus 194 000), Germany (plus 92,000) , Switzerland (plus 84,000), the Netherlands (plus 75,000), Sweden and Norway (plus 67 thousands).

Overall, the EU population increased by 1.3 million people in 2012 reaching 503.7 million people, according to eurostat data.