Over the span of ten years – from 2009 to 2019 – the population of Sofia has increased by almost 80,000, economist Adrian Nikolov from the Institute for Market Economics said during an online presentation of an analysis of the economic and social development of the regions in southern Bulgaria.  

At the same time there is only one region in southern Bulgaria where there is a population increase – Kurdzhali – by around 3,500 people, Nikolov commented, adding that there, just as in Sofia-city, the important factor for the population increase is its mechanical migration rather than a balance between birth and mortality rate.

The remaining regions score a loss, the situation being worst in Pazardzhik and Stara Zagora. The increase in the population of Sofia is also a factor affecting higher housing prices in recent years.

Statistical data also show that Plovdiv outstrips Sofia as more attractive city for domestic migrants. Burgas is also an attractive city, but there internal migration is a significant factor because the impact of the tourism sector has to be accounted for, especially in recent years.

Smaller regions are the greatest “population donors”, Sliven, for instance has lost 10 per mille in population in 2019.

Smolyan and Kyustendil have indices close to these. Sofia region, on the one hand, remains an attractive place for commuters, who work in the capital but live in the nearby villages and towns, although many prefer to move to Sofia lately, the expert commented. He specified that if we consider Sofia as an urban agglomerate, i.e. the metro area and the periphery, we will see the gross positive effect as regards the population.