In the space of ten years – from 2009 to 2019 – the population of Sofia has increased by almost 80,000, economist Adrian Nikolov from the Institute for Market Economics said during an online presentation of an analysis of the economic and social development of the regions in Southern Bulgaria.  

At the same time there is only one region in Southern Bulgaria in which there is a population increase – Kurdzhali – by around 3,500 people, Nikolov commented, adding that there, just as in Sofia-city, the big factor for the population increase is its mechanical movement instead of a balance between birth and mortality rate. The remaining regions are at a loss, the situation being worst in Pazardzhik and Stara Zagora. The increase in the population of Sofia is also a factor for the evolution of housing prices in recent years, BTA reports.