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Population in Bulgaria compared to South Africa: Trends, Charts, Rankings

Updated on by Georank team

The latest officially reported population of Bulgaria was 6,444,366 in 2024 vs 64,007,187 people in South Africa in 2024. In 2025, based on the adjusted UN estimation, the current Bulgaria's population is 6,403,235 people compared to 65,314,246 in South Africa.

Population statistics:

  • South Africa's population is 10.2 times bigger than Bulgaria's.
  • Bulgaria is ranked the 111th most populous country in the world, while South Africa is the 24th.
  • The countries together account for 0.87% of the world: 0.08% for Bulgaria vs 0.79% for South Africa.
  • For the last 10 years, Bulgaria has had an average growth rate of -0.95% per year vs +1.44% in South Africa.
  • Since 2005, the population of Bulgaria has decreased from 7.66M people to 6.4M (16.4% decline), while South Africa has grown from 49.5M to 65.3M (32% growth).
  • South Africa is projected to reach its peak in 2100 at 94.3M people, while Bulgaria's population already peaked in 1988 at 8.98M people and is projected to decrease to 3.37M people by 2100.

Bulgaria vs South Africa: live population counter

Bulgaria South Africa
Current population
6403235
65314246
Population rank 111/197 24/197
Percent of world population 0.08% 0.79%
One net population change
3.93 hours
39.7 seconds
One birth every
9.16 minutes
26.6 seconds
One death every
5.19 minutes
54 seconds
One migration net change every
16.7 hours
3.15 minutes
Annual migration change +524 +166,972
Daily growth/decline -6 +2,178
Annual growth/decline -2,230 +794,803
Annual growth/decline rate -0.03% +1.26%
Population growth rate rank 168/197 87/197

Bulgaria and South Africa: population history and growth rate by year chart

Bulgaria
Population

Growth rate
South Africa
Population

Growth rate
Year Population Growth rate
Bulgaria South Africa Bulgaria South Africa
1960 7,867,374 16,440,172 - -
1961 7,943,118 16,908,035 0.96% 2.85%
1962 8,012,946 17,418,522 0.88% 3.02%
1963 8,078,145 17,954,564 0.81% 3.08%
1964 8,144,340 18,511,361 0.82% 3.1%
1965 8,204,168 19,089,380 0.73% 3.12%
1966 8,258,057 19,690,087 0.66% 3.15%
1967 8,310,226 20,314,066 0.63% 3.17%
1968 8,369,603 20,957,287 0.71% 3.17%
1969 8,434,172 21,614,676 0.77% 3.14%
1970 8,489,574 22,279,984 0.66% 3.08%
1971 8,536,395 22,942,143 0.55% 2.97%
1972 8,576,200 23,609,456 0.47% 2.91%
1973 8,620,967 24,294,263 0.52% 2.9%
1974 8,678,745 24,989,108 0.67% 2.86%
1975 8,720,742 25,690,940 0.48% 2.81%
1976 8,758,599 26,395,450 0.43% 2.74%
1977 8,804,183 27,118,952 0.52% 2.74%
1978 8,814,032 27,869,507 0.11% 2.77%
1979 8,825,940 28,634,162 0.14% 2.74%
1980 8,861,535 29,518,857 0.4% 3.09%
1981 8,891,117 30,541,044 0.33% 3.46%
1982 8,917,457 31,615,339 0.3% 3.52%
1983 8,939,738 32,739,304 0.25% 3.56%
1984 8,960,679 33,892,788 0.23% 3.52%
1985 8,960,547 35,042,093 -0.001% 3.39%
1986 8,958,171 36,180,515 -0.03% 3.25%
1987 8,971,359 37,326,190 0.15% 3.17%
1988 8,981,446 38,480,649 0.11% 3.09%
1989 8,876,972 39,628,575 -1.16% 2.98%
1990 8,718,289 40,746,268 -1.79% 2.82%
1991 8,632,367 41,687,898 -0.99% 2.31%
1992 8,540,164 42,443,509 -1.07% 1.81%
1993 8,472,313 43,297,156 -0.79% 2.01%
1994 8,443,591 44,004,139 -0.34% 1.63%
1995 8,406,067 44,541,554 -0.44% 1.22%
1996 8,362,826 45,123,018 -0.51% 1.31%
1997 8,312,068 45,666,838 -0.61% 1.21%
1998 8,256,786 46,223,880 -0.67% 1.22%
1999 8,210,624 46,730,335 -0.56% 1.1%
2000 8,170,172 47,159,719 -0.49% 0.92%
2001 8,009,142 47,566,800 -1.97% 0.86%
2002 7,837,161 48,019,415 -2.15% 0.95%
2003 7,775,327 48,500,348 -0.79% 1%
2004 7,716,860 48,991,421 -0.75% 1.01%
2005 7,658,972 49,490,033 -0.75% 1.02%
2006 7,601,022 49,998,277 -0.76% 1.03%
2007 7,545,338 50,528,584 -0.73% 1.06%
2008 7,492,561 51,114,599 -0.7% 1.16%
2009 7,444,443 51,728,516 -0.64% 1.2%
2010 7,395,599 52,344,051 -0.66% 1.19%
2011 7,348,328 52,995,205 -0.64% 1.24%
2012 7,305,888 53,782,567 -0.58% 1.49%
2013 7,160,005 54,678,791 -2% 1.67%
2014 7,073,572 55,594,838 -1.21% 1.68%
2015 6,984,225 56,723,537 -1.26% 2.03%
2016 6,894,139 57,259,551 -1.29% 0.94%
2017 6,803,468 57,635,162 -1.32% 0.66%
2018 6,710,798 58,613,001 -1.36% 1.7%
2019 6,616,726 59,587,885 -1.4% 1.66%
2020 6,550,696 60,562,381 -1% 1.64%
2021 6,507,301 61,502,603 -0.66% 1.55%
2022 6,465,097 62,378,410 -0.65% 1.42%
2023 6,446,596 63,212,384 -0.29% 1.34%
2024 6,444,366 64,007,187 -0.03% 1.26%
2025 6,403,235 64,747,317 -0.64% 1.16%
2026 6,358,515 65,453,086 -0.7% 1.09%
2027 6,310,991 66,143,018 -0.75% 1.05%
2028 6,261,580 66,830,384 -0.78% 1.04%
2029 6,210,816 67,506,850 -0.81% 1.01%
2030 6,158,806 68,161,357 -0.84% 0.97%
2031 6,106,271 68,798,574 -0.85% 0.93%
2032 6,054,057 69,426,441 -0.86% 0.91%
2033 6,001,675 70,040,484 -0.87% 0.88%
2034 5,948,975 70,641,572 -0.88% 0.86%
2035 5,896,427 71,234,749 -0.88% 0.84%
2036 5,843,557 71,816,372 -0.9% 0.82%
2037 5,790,371 72,387,807 -0.91% 0.8%
2038 5,737,870 72,949,611 -0.91% 0.78%
2039 5,685,753 73,496,152 -0.91% 0.75%
2040 5,633,818 74,035,615 -0.91% 0.73%
2041 5,582,636 74,575,444 -0.91% 0.73%
2042 5,532,405 75,111,899 -0.9% 0.72%
2043 5,483,086 75,641,512 -0.89% 0.71%
2044 5,434,397 76,164,461 -0.89% 0.69%
2045 5,386,376 76,681,448 -0.88% 0.68%
2046 5,338,852 77,199,542 -0.88% 0.68%
2047 5,291,441 77,716,650 -0.89% 0.67%
2048 5,244,419 78,215,323 -0.89% 0.64%
2049 5,197,955 78,699,584 -0.89% 0.62%
2050 5,151,745 79,177,329 -0.89% 0.61%

From 2005 to 2015, the population of Bulgaria decreased by 674,747 people (a 8.81% decline), while South Africa gained 7,233,504 people (a 14.6% growth).

For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, Bulgaria lost -580,990 (a 8.32% decline), while South Africa's population increased by 8,590,709 (a 15.1% growth).

Bulgaria was ranked 92nd most populous country in 2005 and is 111th in 2025. South Africa was ranked 24th in 2005 and still ranked 24th now.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 25 years (in 2050) Bulgaria's population will shrink by 19.5% to 5,151,745 people with a rank change from 111th to 128th. The population of South Africa will increase by 21.2% to 79,177,329 people and rank change from 24th to 23rd.

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Population map with other countries

Population

Growth rate visualization in other countries

Growth rate

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