Share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of population living in urban areas was 60.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria stood at 60.1%.
The figure is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria peaked at 61.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 53.1%, in 1950.
Bulgaria ranks 178th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.9% | 53.1% | 54.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 57.0% | 56.2% | 57.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 59.5% | 59.0% | 60.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 60.9% | 60.5% | 61.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 61.1% | 60.9% | 61.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 60.3% | 60.2% | 60.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 60.1% | 60.0% | 60.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 60.1% | 60.1% | 60.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2116 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.08 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.39 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.44 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.98 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 162.5 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Bulgaria was 60.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 61.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.1% in 1950.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Bulgaria ranks 178th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.