Bulgaria's population is expected to go down by nearly 40,000 or 0.05 % at the end of 2007 over the previous year, when it numbered 7 679 230, official data shows.

The country's population is among the fastest shrinking in Europe and has the lowest birth rate (55 000 new born babies for the first nine months of the year) and the highest mortality rate (85 000 for the same period), according to figures of the National Statistical Institute, released on Tuesday at a conference, dedicated to Bulgaria's demographic trends.

Bulgarians live on average 72.6 years (76 years for women and 69 for men). The average age is 41.

Experts commented that the country's labor market will face shortage of workers because of the decline in the population. Estimates show that at the end of 2020 the number of people coming into the prime working age of 15 will be 67 against 100 coming out of work at the age of 65.

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