NUTS 3 areas of Bulgaria by population
Sofia (stolitsa) had the highest population of 28 areas in 2016, at 1.2 million. Vidin had the lowest, at 88,118. The median was 169,651 and the figure for Bulgaria was 6.94 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All areas, 2016
Full ranking
| Rank | Areas | 2016 | Change on 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia (stolitsa) | 1,203,985 | +1.2% |
| 2 | Plovdiv | 657,444 | -0.8% |
| 3 | Varna | 451,734 | -1.1% |
| 4 | Burgas | 396,236 | -1% |
| 5 | Sofia | 322,153 | -5.2% |
| 6 | Stara Zagora | 315,494 | -1.2% |
| 7 | Blagoevgrad | 308,021 | -1.1% |
| 8 | Pazardzhik | 252,327 | -1.9% |
| 9 | Pleven | 248,369 | -1.7% |
| 10 | Veliko Tarnovo | 233,193 | -2.2% |
| 11 | Haskovo | 229,411 | -1.6% |
| 12 | Ruse | 214,998 | -1.9% |
| 13 | Sliven | 185,667 | -1.4% |
| 14 | Vratsa | 169,884 | -2.1% |
| 15 | Dobrich | 169,418 | -2.4% |
| 16 | Shumen | 165,475 | -1.9% |
| 17 | Kardzhali | 144,811 | -1.2% |
| 18 | Montana | 134,079 | -2.1% |
| 19 | Lovech | 128,517 | -2% |
| 20 | Kyustendil | 123,967 | -2.1% |
| 21 | Pernik | 122,772 | -1.9% |
| 22 | Yambol | 120,553 | -2% |
| 23 | Razgrad | 114,176 | -2% |
| 24 | Gabrovo | 110,469 | -2.3% |
| 25 | Smolyan | 109,549 | -2.3% |
| 26 | Targovishte | 109,353 | -2.1% |
| 27 | Silistra | 108,586 | -2% |
| 28 | Vidin | 88,118 | -2.9% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the areas are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_r_pjanaggr3/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank NUTS 3 areas of Bulgaria by population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population","level":"province","within":"Bulgaria","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=population&level=province&within=Bulgaria&limit=10Questions
Which area has the highest population?
Sofia (stolitsa), with 1.2 million in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which area has the lowest population?
Vidin, with 88,118 in 2016.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Population: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Provinces of Spain
- Municipalities of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
NUTS 3 areas of Bulgaria: more rankings
- Live births
- Crude birth rate
- Crude death rate
- Deaths
- Age dependency ratio (ages 15 to 64 base)
- Total fertility rate
- Gross domestic product (GDP)
- GDP per capita
- GDP per capita in PPS (EU27 = 100)
- Median age
- Population aged 15 to 64
- Population aged 65 and over
- Population density
- Nights spent in tourist accommodation