Bulgaria’s population could fall to just over 5 million by the last quarter of this century, taking it back to the same population level that the country had in 1920.
The alarming forecast comes from the country’s National Statistical Institute, which is studying the Balkan country’s demographic prospects.
The decrease in the population will also be accompanied by the ageing population, the NSI warns, with pensioners outnumbering people of working age.
Bulgaria’s current population is 7.3 million, a sharp fall on the all-time high of just over 9 million in 1989.
As matters stand, there are already 78 retired persons for every 100 in work.
The government is mulling measures aimed at dealing with the demographic crisis, including one that the adoption of each bill should be accompanied by an assessment of its impact on the population.
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is also developing a national strategy on demographic development and it is expected to present its ideas to parliament by the end of the year.
While all Balkan counties have suffered some degree of depopulation in recent years, owing to a combination of high emigration rates and low birthrates, Bulgaria is in a category of its own with the highest depopulation rate in the EU.