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In large parts of Europe overcrowding dominates the political debate. In Bulgaria the opposite reality is unfolding. Less than an hour north of Sofia lies Lukovo, a village with dozens of houses but only a handful of residents left. Windows are shuttered, gardens overgrown, and the local school has long since closed. Lukovo is not an exception but a symptom of a broader national trend. Across the country, entire villages are falling silent as Bulgaria\u2019s population shrinks. What remains is not destruction, but abandonment: houses still standing, waiting for people who are no longer coming back. This raises a pressing question: can Bulgaria breathe new life into its land, or has it already passed the point of no return?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A Demographic Collapse Decades in the Making<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Over the past decades Bulgaria\u2019s population has declined rapidly. From nearly eight million inhabitants in 2000, the number fell to just over 6.4 million by the end of 2024. Projections suggest a further decline of more than 20 percent by 2050. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy this decrease is driven by a combination of low birth rates, high mortality, and sustained emigration since the early 1990s. In 2024 alone, Bulgaria recorded 53,428 births and 100,736 deaths, resulting in a negative natural growth. Villages like Lukovo reflect what these figures mean in practice: once viable communities gradually hollowed out as generations disappear. The numbers describe decline, but they do not capture the stillness of places where time seems to have stopped moving forward.
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