Fertility rate: births per woman in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.75 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
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.
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
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0095 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.75 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.75 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.845 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.0333 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 56.39 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 60.58 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.2134 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.0399 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 66.58 0-100 (2024)
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.
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About this data
The 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.