Only three regional cities - Sofia, Plovdiv and Kardzhali, out of a total of 28 have increased their population in the last 10 years, BTA reports. According to the National Statistical Institute, the number of inhabitants has increased in 23 more cities, while in the remaining 231 it has decreased. This means that 90% of all large settlements in Bulgaria already have fewer people than a decade ago.
The largest increase is in Sofia, which is equal to the population in a small town. 13,688 new people have become citizens of Sofia and with them the number of inhabitants in the city exceeds 1.2 million.
The most accurate demographic picture will become clear after the upcoming census.