Bulgarian women of childbearing age decline in number

Over the past twenty years, the number of Bulgarian women of childbearing age has been decreasing progressively, announced yesterday the National Statistical Institute (NSI). After reaching the number of 2.068 million in 1990, the women of fertile age decreased by 1.907 million in 2001 and declined by 1.757 million in 2010. Some 90% of the women between 15 and 34 years of gave births in our country. In 2010, their number decreased by 11.4%, compared to 2001, while it decreased by nearly 16%, compared to 1997. There was also a reduction in the proportion of births by women between 20 and 29 years of age, while the share of infants whose mothers were between 30 and 39 years of age is increasing. NSI reported the alarming trend in the increase of births by girls under 15 years of age. The proportion of these newborns rose from 0.1 percent in 1960 to 0.5 percent in 2010. Statisticians estimated that, in 2011, the number of infants was about 5,000 less than in 2010 when a total of 75,513 Bulgarians were born. According to NSI, in the middle of last century, the coefficient of the birth rate was 25.2 promille, while its lowest level of 7.7 per 1,000 was reached in 1997. The increase in the birth rate started gradually in 2003 and, since 2007, it has varied at levels around 10 promille. The relative out-of-wedlock birth rate continues to increase. The infant mortality rate in Bulgaria is higher than in most European countries where it is under 7 promille, compared to 9.4 promille in our country in 2010.

In terms of the population growth rate, Bulgaria ranked 16 among EU member-states. As a result of external migration between the censuses conducted in 1992 and 2011, the population decreased by 397,136 people. The ongoing process of demographic ageing triggered the decline in the absolute number and relative share of the population under 15 years of age, as well as an increase in the share of people of 65 years of age and above, reported NSI.

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