Демографские пустыни: Болгария сталкивается с критическим неравномерным сокращением населения

Bulgaria’s Population Decline Creates ‘Demographic Deserts’ Bulgaria is facing a continued population decline that is increasingly taking on a geographic dimension, with entire areas of the country losing residents and developing what demographers describe as “demographic deserts.” Assoc. Prof. Spas Tashev, a demographer at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Population and Human Research, said the country is experiencing two parallel demographic trends: an overall decline in population and an increasingly uneven distribution of people across its territory. “Bulgaria is becoming a country with a continuously decreasing population, while at the same time this decreasing population has clearly expressed spatial dimensions, with the population literally disappearing from entire territories of the country,” Tashev told Bulgarian National Radio. He said some demographers use the term “demographic desert” for areas with fewer than 10 people per square kilometer. While mountainous and semi-mountainous areas have traditionally had lower population densities, such extreme depopulation creates problems well beyond demographics. According to Tashev, the consequences are visible in the social and economic spheres, as well as in infrastructure and national security. “There, in practice, the state does not have full sovereignty,” he said, referring to areas where very few people remain. The southwestern region is already among the areas that can be described as demographic deserts, Tashev said. In recent years, the Rhodope Mountains have experienced an even faster rate of depopulation. The northeastern region, traditionally known as Bulgaria’s agricultural heartland, is also showing signs of losing population. Depopulation is not limited to remote parts of the country. Tashev noted that the process can also be seen in the Sofia region, including settlements located relatively close to the capital. He also assessed the government's National Concept for Regional and Spatial Development through 2040, which identifies demography as the country's number one problem. Tashev said he does not expect the document by itself to resolve Bulgaria's demographic crisis. A major concern, he said, is the sharp territorial imbalance in the distribution of younger people. About one-third of Bulgaria's young population lives in the western part of the country, largely because of Sofia. If the trend continues without intervention, it could create significant structural problems for the country's future demographic development. Tashev stressed the need for stronger regional economic development and better infrastructure outside the country's main population centers. This includes expanding medical and educational facilities and ensuring reliable internet coverage across the country. Among the ideas he proposed is the creation of a “Map of Opportunities” that would provide a clearer picture of the conditions in different regions. The system could allow employers to list workforce needs and salary levels while also showing available housing, healthcare and educational facilities. Such information, Tashev argued, could help people and businesses identify opportunities outside the country's most densely populated areas and support efforts to counter the growing geographic concentration of Bulgaria's population. 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