Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 25.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 25.9% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria peaked at 25.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 1950.
Bulgaria ranks 90th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.1% | — |
| 1955 | 13.1% | +8.3% |
| 1960 | 13.7% | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 14.4% | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 14.8% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 15.4% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 16.6% | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 18.1% | +9.2% |
| 1990 | 18.5% | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 18.7% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 19.0% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 22.4% | +10.7% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 25.9% | +7.6% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 25.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 25.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.1%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.6% | 12.1% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.1% | 13.7% | 14.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.1% | 14.8% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 17.3% | 16.6% | 18.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 18.6% | 18.5% | 18.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 19.0% | 20.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 22.4% | 24.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 25.9% | 25.9% | 25.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More population data for Bulgaria
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.18 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.7245 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.7245 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 146,527 people (2100)
- Population density 32.53 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.921 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.8803 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Bulgaria was 25.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 1950.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Bulgaria ranks 90th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.