Fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.75 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.75 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
133rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.88 live births per woman
in 1948
All-time low
1.11 live births per woman
in 1997
Years of data
77
1947–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria, 1947–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria is 1.75 live births per woman, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria peaked at 2.88 live births per woman in 1948 and was at its lowest, 1.11 live births per woman, in 1997.
Bulgaria ranks 133rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 77 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 2.83 live births per woman | — |
| 1948 | 2.88 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1949 | 2.87 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1950 | 2.48 live births per woman | -13.5% |
| 1951 | 2.45 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1952 | 2.44 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 2.41 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 2.35 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1955 | 2.37 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 2.33 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1957 | 2.24 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1958 | 2.21 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1959 | 2.21 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 2.31 live births per woman | +4.4% |
| 1961 | 2.28 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 2.23 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1963 | 2.2 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 2.17 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 2.08 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1966 | 2.02 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1967 | 2.03 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.27 live births per woman | +11.8% |
| 1969 | 2.27 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 2.18 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1971 | 2.1 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 live births per woman | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 2.29 live births per woman | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 2.23 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 2.25 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 2.21 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 2.15 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 2.15 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.06 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 2.01 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 2.01 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 2.01 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 2 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 1.97 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 2 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 1.96 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 1.97 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 1.89 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 1.79 live births per woman | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 1.65 live births per woman | -8.2% |
| 1992 | 1.54 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1993 | 1.46 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 1.37 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 1.25 live births per woman | -9.0% |
| 1996 | 1.24 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 1.11 live births per woman | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 1.14 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 1.26 live births per woman | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 1.29 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 1.23 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 1.22 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.25 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 1.32 live births per woman | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 1.36 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 1.43 live births per woman | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 1.48 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 1.55 live births per woman | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 1.64 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 1.57 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 1.5 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.5 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.48 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.53 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.53 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.54 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.56 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.58 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.56 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 1.59 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 1.77 live births per woman | +11.4% |
| 2023 | 1.75 live births per woman | -1.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 1.75 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 1.75 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.86 live births per woman | 2.83 live births per woman | 2.88 live births per woman | 3 |
| 1950s | 2.35 live births per woman | 2.21 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.19 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 2.31 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.17 live births per woman | 2.04 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.99 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 2.06 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.11 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.22 live births per woman | 1.64 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 live births per woman | 1.48 live births per woman | 1.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 130 North Korea 1.78 live births per woman compare
- 131 El Salvador 1.77 live births per woman compare
- 131 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.77 live births per woman compare
- 134 Brunei 1.75 live births per woman compare
- 135 Moldova 1.73 live births per woman compare
- 136 Qatar 1.73 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria was 1.75 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 2.88 live births per woman in 1948.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.11 live births per woman in 1997.
- How does Bulgaria rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Bulgaria ranks 133rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 77 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.