Bulgaria's Birth Rate Plummeted to Record Low in 2012

Bulgaria's birth rate plummeted to a 67-year-low in 2012.

A total of 62 000 babies were born in 2012, the lowest number since 1945, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

In 2011, a total of 71 000 babies were born in Bulgaria and in the crisis-stricken 1997, the number was 64 000.

Elitsa Dimitrova from the Institute for Population and Human Studies commented that the downward trend in birthrates in Bulgaria was related to living conditions, career opportunities for women, and the deterioration of the economic situation.

"People find it hard to decide to have children on the one hand because they do not feel in control of their lives, things are so unpredictable, that they do not feel strong enough to take that responsibility upon themselves, and on the other hand they do not feel supported when they decide to have children," said Tsveta Brestnichka, Chair of the Managing Board of the Parents Association.

She noted that the average share of the GDP allocated for family support in the EU amounted to 2.1%, with some countries reaching 4%, while the share in Bulgaria was 1.2%.

Mihail Konstantinov, Professor in Mathematics, explained that in order for the population of a country to remain stable, each woman had to have 2.1 babies, or every ten women had to have 21 babies, the so-called replacement rate.

He specified that in Bulgaria the rate was twice lower but also added that there were EU countries with higher standards of living and a slightly higher rate.