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Genetik/Peoples/Bulgarians

Bulgarians

Болгары · Q133255

language area per Glottologcensus counts
5,118,494
Bulgaria, census 2021 (ethnicity / nationality)
5,475,687
sum of censuses in 19 countries, 2001-2023
Indo-European
language family (Glottolog)

In brief

The largest documented number lives in Bulgaria: 5,118,494 people in the 2021 census.

Official figures exist for 19 countries; together they add up to 5,475,687. This is not an estimate of the world total: the censuses were held in different years (2001-2023) and define belonging differently, and countries without such data are not counted.

In Russia's 2020 census (reference date 1 October 2021), 11,851 people identified with the nationality "Болгары" (Bulgarians)1. That is less than 0.01% of the 130,587,364 residents who stated a nationality.

Rosstat also assigns 3 other self-designations to this nationality (listed in Russian in the source table).

Main language: Bulgarian. Glottolog classifies it in the Indo-European family.

Where they live: census figures

Each figure comes from the country's official census. Censuses define belonging differently (self-identification, citizenship, mother tongue, ancestry); the type is given on each row.

Bulgaria2021 · ethnicity / nationality · «Bulgarian» · [2]
5,118,494
Ukraine2001 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [3]
204,574
Moldova, Republic of2014 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [4]
51,867
Belgium2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [5]
43,104
Serbia2022 · ethnicity / nationality · «Bugari» · [6]
12,918
Russia2021 · ethnicity / nationality · «Болгары» · [1]
11,851
Czechia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · usual residents; ethnicity voluntary; persons stating two ethnicities counted under both · [7]
7,679
Albania2023 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [8]
7,057
Romania2021 · ethnicity / nationality · «Bulgarian» · [9]
5,975
Kazakhstan2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [10]
5,778
North Macedonia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [11]
3,504
Slovakia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [12]
1,106
Belarus2019 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [13]
466
Estonia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [14]
406
Latvia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [15]
379
Croatia2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [16]
262
Slovenia2002 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [17]
138
Lithuania2021 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [18]
110
Tajikistan2010 · national and/or ethnic group, UN · «Bulgarian» · [19]
19
Sum across 19 countries5,475,687

In detail: Russia, 2021 census

Sex, urban and rural, Russian regions

Sex

Men 6,283 · 53.0%Women 5,568 · 47.0%

Urban and rural

Urban 9,183 · 77.5%Rural 2,668 · 22.5%

Where: the 10 regions with the largest numbers

Moscow (city)
991
Moscow Oblast
989
Republic of Crimea (as listed by Rosstat)
832
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra
775
Krasnodar Krai
742
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
461
Saint Petersburg (city)
459
Tyumen Oblast (excl. autonomous okrugs)
318
Belgorod Oblast
290
Sverdlovsk Oblast
278

Source [1]: Rosstat, 2020 census, vol. 5, table 1

Languages and their lineage

Bulgarian

  1. Indo-Europeanindo1319
  2. Classical Indo-Europeanclas1257
  3. Balto-Slavicbalt1263
  4. Slavicslav1255
  5. South Slavicsout3147
  6. Eastern South Slaviceast2269
  7. Macedo-Bulgarianmace1252
  8. Bulgarianbulg1262

People-to-language links: Wikidata (properties P103 and P2936), checked against ISO 639-3 codes. Language classification: Glottolog 5.3.

Peoples of the same language family

PakistanisRussiansMarathiGermansSpaniardsMexicansUkrainiansEnglishIrishAmericansItaliansRomaniansNepali (Khas-Arya)DutchBelarusiansTajiksCzechsScotsSerbsSlovaksArmeniansCubansLithuaniansAlbanians

Sources

  1. Rosstat. National composition of the population of the Russian Federation. Results of the 2020 All-Russian Population Census (reference date 1 October 2021), vol. 5, table 1. Tom5_tab1_VPN-2020.xlsx (archived copy)
  2. National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI). Ethno-cultural characteristics of the population as of 7 September 2021 (Census 2021). https://www.nsi.bg/en/file/24020/Census2021-ethnos_en.pdf
  3. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Ukraine, Census - de facto - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  4. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Republic of Moldova, Census - de facto - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  5. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Belgium, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  6. Републички завод за статистику / Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Коначни резултати Пописа становништва, домаћинстава и станова 2022 (Final results of the 2022 Census), 28.04.2023; Book 1 'Национална припадност' https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2023/Pdf/G20234001.pdf. https://www.stat.gov.rs/vesti/20230428-konacnirezpopisa/
  7. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Czechia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  8. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Albania, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  9. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Geographia (peer-reviewed; data of Institutul Național de Statistică, Romania). Tofan G.B., Niță A. 'The National Structure of the Romanian Population at the 1st December 2021 Census', Studia UBB Geographia LXX(1), 2025, pp. 39-64, Table 2 (reproduces INS final census data, stable population). https://studia.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/index.php/subbgeographia/article/download/9437/9118/2767…
  10. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Kazakhstan, Census - de facto - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  11. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. North Macedonia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  12. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Slovakia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  13. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Belarus, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  14. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Estonia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  15. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Latvia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  16. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Croatia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  17. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Slovenia, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  18. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Lithuania, Census - de jure - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  19. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Demographic Yearbook, table 26: Population by national and/or ethnic group. Tajikistan, Census - de facto - complete tabulation, Final figure, complete. https://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3a26%3bsexCode%3a0%3bareaCode%3a0%3bcountr…
  20. Hammarström H., Forkel R., Haspelmath M., Bank S. (2026). Glottolog 5.3. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. glottolog.org (CC BY 4.0)