As of 09/07/2021, there are 1,865,132 families in the Republic of Bulgaria, of which 1,361,711 (73.0%) live in cities, and 503,421 (27.0%) – in villages. This is indicated by the data of the national statistics.
The population and housing census is the only source for obtaining comprehensive information on the number and structure of families in the country.
Until the middle of the last century, families were identified with households and were not observed separately. Changes in the way families are studied have occurred since 1965, when they were singled out as a separate unit of observation in the census program.
During the period 1965 – 1985, the number of families in the country increased by 289,807 (12.0%), and the number of persons living in them – by 658,843 (9.1%).
In subsequent censuses, the number of families decreased by a total of 834,823 and the number of persons in them decreased by 2,967,726. The largest decrease in the number of families was registered between the last two censuses. As of September 7, 2021, there were 258,092 (12.2%) fewer families in Bulgaria than in 2011.
For the entire period during which families are studied in our country, the average size of families slightly decreased – from 3.0 persons in 1965 to 2.7 persons in 2021.
The reduction of the population in the villages at the expense of the population in the cities, which began in the middle of the last century, has an impact on the structure of families by place of residence (city/village). At the last census, it was found that the share of families in villages was 27.0%, compared to 56.2% in 1965.
There are certain differences in the dynamics of the number of families by region. They are due to the specific features of the individual areas, primarily related to the intensity of the birth and death rate processes, to the different economic development, as well as to the size and direction of migration flows – internal and external. During the period
2011 – 2021, the number of families decreased in all districts, with the most sensitive decrease in Vidin (22.1%), Dobrich (21.5%), Yambol (19.9%) and Smolyan (19.5%) districts.
From 1965 to the present, all censuses observe the nuclear family, consisting of two or more persons who are related to each other by some degree of kinship, either by blood or by marriage/cohabitation without marriage or adoption. Unlike the biological family, which includes all the offspring of the spouses, the nuclear family refers only to children who do not have their own family and who live with their parents regardless of their age.
Families are of three main types: a family of two spouses/partners (legally married or cohabiting without marriage) without children; two-spouse/partner family with children and one-parent family with children.
As of 09/07/2021, the largest number of families consisting of two spouses/partners with children is 767,627. Families of two spouses/partners without children are 688,760, and families consisting of one parent with children are 408,745 .
In the period 1985 – 2021, the complete nuclear families (two spouses/partners with children) decreased significantly. Their relative share of 54.7% in 1985 decreased to 50.8% in 2001 and reached 41.2% in 2021. For the same period, the share of families made up of two spouses/partners without children remained almost unchanged.
In many European countries, the form of cohabitation between two people on a family basis without a legally formed marriage is widespread. In Bulgaria, this type of cohabitation has become widespread in the last 30-35 years. Between the last two censuses, the number of these families increased by 34,698, and in 2021, 324,591 (17.4%) of all families in the country live in cohabitation without marriage.
Married couples with children living in cohabitation without marriage are 27.3% of all married couples with children in the country. In cities, the relative share of these families is 26.0%, and in villages – 31.2%.
The share of families formed by one parent with children increased from 12.2% in 2001 to 14.7% in 2011 and reached 21.9% of all families in the country in 2021. Mothers with children make up 74.4% of all one-parent families with children, and in 25.6% of families the father raises his children alone.
With the largest relative share of one-parent families with children is the district of Sofia (the capital) – 25.5% of all families in the district. The share of families consisting of one parent with children is the smallest in the districts of Smolyan (15.2%) and Kardzhali (17.0%).
When analyzing the families of one parent with children according to the legal marital status of the parent, it is found that during the period 1985 – 2021, the number of unmarried parents (single mothers and fathers) is constantly increasing – from 4,762 in 1985 to 92,247 in 2021, or an increase of 20.3 percentage points. Families of widowed parents with children are also increasing and in 2021 they are 40.2% of all incomplete nuclear families.
The number of families made up of one parent, who is legally married, but actually raises his children alone, increased almost throughout the period 1985-2021. Between the last two censuses, these families grew by 8,049 and as of 09/07/2021, their relative share of all incomplete nuclear families was 13.4%.
During the period 2011 – 2021, the number of families consisting of divorced parents with children decreased. Their relative share as of 09/07/2021 is 23.9% of all families consisting of one parent with children.
Number of members in families
Changes in the number and type of families are accompanied by changes in their structure in terms of number of members. During the period 1965 – 2021, two-member families predominated. Their number and relative share until 2011, when it reached 1,053,471 (54.8%). Between the last two censuses, two-member families decreased to 1,002,858 (53.8%) in 2021. The number and relative share of three-member families varies between censuses, and in 2021 there were three-member families in 532,743 (28.6%) of all families in the country.
As of 09/07/2021, there are 291,185 four-member families, or 15.6% of all families. For the period 1965 – 2021, their relative share decreased by 8.8 percentage points.
38,346 (2.1%) of the families in the country are multi-member, consisting of five or more persons. During the considered period, their number decreased more than four times.
Number of children in families
As of 09/07/2021, 1,176,372 families with children were counted. The number of families with one child is 766,751 or 65.2% of all families with children. The number of families with two, three and more children is decreasing both absolutely and relatively. There are 47,859 families with many children (with three or more children), or 4.1% of all families with children.
There are 688,760 (36.9%) families in the country without children (34.8% in cities and 42.6% in villages).
Data from the latest censuses show that the one-child model has been established as a typical family form in Bulgaria.
In a regional aspect, certain differences are observed in terms of the “number of children in the family” indicator. With the largest share of families with three or more children are the districts of Sliven (5.7%), Yambol (3.7%) and Vratsa (3.6%), and with the smallest – Smolyan (1.2%) and Kyustendil (1.7%).
With the largest relative share of families without children are the regions of Smolyan (45.0%), Vidin (44.1%) and Silistra (43.6%), and with the smallest – the regions of Sofia (capital) (31.7%), Sofia and Varna ( 35.0% each), and Blagoevgrad (35.1%).
Families with children under 18 years old
There are 658,061 families with children under 18, or 55.9% of all families with children in the country. 507,850 (77.2%) of families with children under 18 live in cities, and 150,211 (22.8%) live in villages.
At the same time, 518,311 families with children have no children under 18 (44.1% of all families with children in the country).
The analysis of families with children by region shows that the largest relative share of families with children under 18 is in the regions of Sofia (capital) (60.7%), Varna (60.5%) and Burgas (60.2% of all families with children in the district), and the smallest – in Vidin (48.9%) and Kyustendil (48.8%) districts.
Working on the post:
2023-07-05 10:21:00
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