Largest cities in Bulgaria by population
The 6 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for Bulgaria: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Sofia with 1,183,400 people.
Who runs cities in Bulgaria?
Municipalities – obshtini (265): Municipal council and mayor (kmet) directly elected every four years (last in October 2023). Schools (buildings and staff), kindergartens, local roads, waste, water, social services.
How local power works in Bulgaria · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia (capital) | 1,183,400 | 7 September 2021 |
| 2 | Plovdiv | 319,612 | 7 September 2021 |
| 3 | Varna | 310,664 | 7 September 2021 |
| 4 | Burgas | 189,741 | 7 September 2021 |
| 5 | Ruse | 124,787 | 7 September 2021 |
| 6 | Stara Zagora | 122,536 | 7 September 2021 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on Bulgaria: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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