National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria

Statistics on Population and Housing Fund Department

2, P.Volov Str.

1038 Sofia

BULGARIA

Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.

This Euro SDMX Metadata Structure is used for the purpose of quality reporting. The definition of the quality concepts and guidelines are described in the European Statistical System Handbook for Quality Reports.

The regional breakdown of the Member States in the regional demographic tables is done under the most recent NUTS classification. There are agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS.

For more information on the versions in force, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts/.

Not applicable.

Number of persons.

Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail.

2000 onward.

Not applicable.

Data is collected at unit (person) level.

The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December).
The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year in which the migration occurred.The estimation of the population as of 31.12.2022 reflect changes in the number and structure of the population registered during Census 2021.

Law on statistics, Law on Civil Registration, Law on Foreigners, Law on EU Citizens and members of their families, Bilateral agreements with data owners institutions,

Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013.

The agreements on data exchange are based on Personal Data Protection Law.

Law on Statistics;

Law on Personal Data Protection.

Law on Statistics, Article 25, (2) (Supplemented, SG No. 98/2008) The National Statistical Institute and statistical authorities and their staff may not disclose or provide:
— individual statistical data;

— (amended, SG No 98/2008) statistical data which can be matched in a way that enables the identification of a specific statistical unit;

— (amended, SG No 98/2008) statistical information which aggregates data about less than three statistical units or about a population in which the relative share of the value of a surveyed parameter of a single unit exceeds 85 per cent of the total value of such parameter for all units in the population.

Information is published annually according to the Release Calendar presenting the results of the statistical surveys carried out by the National Statistical Institute.

Final data on population and demographic events is made available 4 months after the end of reference year.

The Release Calendar is available on the NSI website:

Demographic and Social Statistics | National statistical institute (nsi.bg)

Data is published on the NSI website, section Population (Demography, Migration and Projections) in accordance with the Law on Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice respecting the professional independence and aimed at objectivity, transparency and equal treatment of all consumers.

Press releases on different topics (according to the Release Calendar) are uploaded on the NSI website at 11:00.

Final population and demographic data are disseminated yearly.

Regular press releases in April.

Annual e-publication.

https://infostat.nsi.bg/infostat/pages/external/login.jsf.

Not applicable.

By users’ requests.

Quality of data is assured through procedures for data validation, editing, coding and verifying. The procedures are performed following clearly prescribed rules.

Not available.

Not available.

Data on fertility are available by sex, weight, height, consecutive number and residence of the child (different territorial levels), place and assistance at birth, multi-foetal births, age (different groupings) of the parents, year of birth of the parents, consecutive number of the mother marriage, pregnancy, citizenship and country of birth of the mother, citizenship of the father.

Data on deaths are available by sex, age (different groupings), residence (different territorial levels), year of birth, citizenship, country of birth, cause.

Data on marriages are available by age, year of birth and citizenship of the spouses, consecutive number of the marriage, previous marital status and residence.

Data on divorces are available by age, year of birth and citizenship of spouses, duration of the marriage, number of children, reasons for the divorce, consecutive number of the divorce and residence.

Data on migrants are available by sex, age, year of birth, citizenship, country of birth, country of origin/destination.

Population data are available by sex, age, residence (different territorial levels), citizenship and country of birth.

According to Article 4(2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata ( In the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3(2) of the Commission Regulation (EC) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.

Not applicable.

Data is collected and processed for the different territorial units using the same methodology and definitions.

The total usual residence population  transmitted by the national statistical offices to Eurostat in the framework of the Usual Residence Population data collection may differ from those available in National Accounts, Labour Force Survey or in the survey on Income and Living Conditions. The difference is given by the population coverage (see metadata specific to each domain).

Comparison between Residence Permits Statistics and International Migration Statistics.

Persons who reside in Bulgaria for a twelve-month period but they do not meet the definition of first residence permit. First residence permit is considered a residence permit granted to a third-country national for the first time, as well as residence permit issued after at least 6 months after the expiry of the previous residence. In fact, some third-country nationals whose permits are renewed within the same year have actually an overall length of stay of (at least) one year but they are not captured by data collection of first permits (table 3 – Persons who have a renewed 6 month residence permit and have a minimum stay of at least 12 months). For example, person granted 6 months residence permit whose permit is renewed for additional 6 months is not captured (is not included in table RP1-4). Moreover if the time gap between the period of validity of the two permits is shorter than 6 months, the second permit will be classified as renewal or/and change of status permit and thus is not captured by the data collection of first permits. Therefore, there is under-coverage of RP data on migration.

Refugees and the persons granted humanitarian status are included in the population number. According to the Law on civil registration of population (LCRP Article 3 (2)-2c) the foreign nationals “who have been granted refugee status or humanitarian status or who have been granted asylum in the Republic of Bulgaria are registered in the population register”. In the case of the RP statistics, persons with refugee and humanitarian status and subsidiary protection are not included in table RP 4. Until now, Bulgaria has not provided data for these subcategories.

In both cases of international migration statistics and statistics on residence permits, events are recorded at the time of their occurrence and the information collected refer to the number of persons. Where a residence permit is issued to several family members, all persons subject to the authorization are counted separately. This also applies to children who are third-country nationals born in the EU after the European Blue Card is issued to a family member.

Data is fully consistent.

Population and demographic statistics data production is included in the National Programme for Statistical Surveys, financed by the State budget.

Not applicable.

In the census years recalculations of the population are made as of the end of the respective and previous year. The recalculations are based on the census results and the respective calculations of the natural and migration increase, received from the current demographic statistics for the respective year.The estimation of the population as of 31.12.2022 reflect changes in the number and structure of the population registered during Census 2021.

Monthly – vital and dual events.

Annually – migration data.

Administrative data sources are used for production of official statistics. Data files are provided to NSI containing information on demographic events – births, deaths, marriages, divorces, change of address in the country, international migration.

Data validation is performed at three stages:

At data transmission – preliminary checking and processing, the proper application of the criterion for length of stay of 12 months. 

At the data processing stage – criteria for doubling, correctness, validation rules for each record’s characteristic.

Before data release – checking the frequencies of separate variables, consistency of table and cross-tabulations.

Data are processed, edited and validated through the Information System Demography, respecting the settled in advance system and logic criteria.

Records linkage is done based on Identification Number of the persons subject of a demographic event.

Data are consistent.

Estimates and assumptions concerning the volume of emigrants are done to improve figures produced both for emigration and population number.

Еstimates (based on NSI sample survey on trips of Bulgarians abroad and visitors to Bulgaria) are done in production of breakdowns of emigrants by destination countries.

No comment.