NUTS 3 areas of Bulgaria by population

Name: NUTS 3 areas of Bulgaria by population, 2018
Creator: Eurostat, European Commission
License: Eurostat reuse policy (commercial and non-commercial reuse, attribution required)

Sofia (stolitsa) had the highest population of 28 areas in 2018, at 1.23 million. Vidin had the lowest, at 82,884. The median was 162,056 and the figure for Bulgaria was 6.76 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1,232,999Sofia (stolitsa)

Lowest82,884Vidin

Median162,05628 areas

Bulgaria6,757,418History

All areas, 2018

CSV Chart (SVG)

persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

Rank	Areas	2018 persons	Change on 2017
1	Sofia (stolitsa)	1,232,999	+1.2%
2	Plovdiv	646,063	-0.9%
3	Varna	441,668	-1.1%
4	Burgas	387,376	-1.2%
5	Stara Zagora	307,652	-1.3%
6	Blagoevgrad	301,109	-1.2%
7	Sofia	287,545	-5.6%
8	Pazardzhik	242,410	-2%
9	Pleven	239,819	-1.8%
10	Veliko Tarnovo	222,746	-2.3%
11	Haskovo	221,777	-1.7%
12	Ruse	206,652	-2%
13	Sliven	180,421	-1.4%
14	Vratsa	162,849	-2.2%
15	Dobrich	161,262	-2.5%
16	Shumen	159,212	-2%
17	Kardzhali	141,336	-1.2%
18	Montana	128,409	-2.1%
19	Lovech	122,827	-2.3%
20	Kyustendil	118,452	-2.3%
21	Pernik	118,343	-1.8%
22	Yambol	115,924	-2%
23	Razgrad	109,460	-2.1%
24	Gabrovo	105,080	-2.5%
25	Targovishte	104,506	-2.3%
26	Silistra	104,370	-2%
27	Smolyan	104,267	-2.5%
28	Vidin	82,884	-3%

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.

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Questions

Which area has the highest population?

Sofia (stolitsa), with 1.23 million in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Vidin, with 82,884 in 2018.

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.