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Depopulation of Bulgarian villages – alarming trend!

More and more people in Bulgaria migrate towards cities and towns, thus leaving huge areas depopulated, with many ghost villages, scientists from the Demography Department with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences /BAS/ warn.

In 2010 a bit over 2 million. people lived in Bulgarian villages, statistics says. If this trend is kept due to migration processes, low birth and high death rate, perhaps in 2060 there will be no people living in villages, the scientists foresee. The depopulation started back in 1946 with the natural process of urbanization worldwide, but also due to the socialistic industrialization and collectivization processes. Thousands of village people, whose land had been taken away by the state, headed towards cities and towns in search of a job and a home. That process couldn’t be stopped even when democracy finally won in 1989 and the land was returned to its owners. There was no way back and that is why today there are many abandoned rural areas. The number of Bulgarian villages has decreased by 15 percent in the 1946 – 2010 period. There were many villages with over 7,000 inhabitants till 1946 – a view that cannot be seen nowadays.

72 percent of the Bulgarians live in cities and towns currently, while the remaining 28 percent reside in villages. The condition of local institutions and infrastructure has also turned really bad, adding more problems. The worst situation is in Northwest and South-east Bulgaria, along the West border too. The number of ghost villages grows every day, Mr. Nikolay Tsekov from BAS says:

“Officially these villages are some 200, but those with 10-50 inhabitants are perhaps 500 more. These settlements are about to expire, we see nothing there, but abandoned buildings and obituaries. 10-15 new villages can be added to the list each year.”

Unemployment accelerated the migration of young people from the villages that are left now with only few old men and women. BAS scientists claim that the case with Northwest Bulgaria is one of the heaviest not only in this country, but all over Europe. Of course, bigger villages face better chances and now everybody wonders whether the EU funding under the Rural Development Program will turn out to be the best one. However, even if this recovery happens, it will be a long and difficult process and a certain state policy in the area will be needed, according to Mr. Tsekov from BAS:

“This policy will provide surveys for the potential of each village. Then a forecast will be needed for its demographic and economic development, especially regarding organic farming, rural tourism etc. Another EU index for the development of a village is its potential in areas that are not related to the development of rural economy.”

Actually, depopulation of villages creates an unexpected problem – the funding under the EU Rural Development Programme cannot be absorbed. Some municipalities are so poor that they cannot provide the necessary co-financing of the projects. At the same time EU money is most needed for their infrastructure. Compared to all this, more and more young families wish to return to an ecological way of life, starting a new one with their children in a village. We are about to see whether this good start will turn into a process.

I think the Survival of the Fittest applies to villages just as it does to so many things. The villages are probably dying because it's not attractive to younger Bulgarians and I can't imagine that repopulating it with Brits which will only push up property prices is likely to make it any more tempting to them. More people may bring more business to the bars and shops in time but they'll also bring more noise, mess, arguments etc. Also a lot of Brits who purchased property in Bulgarian villages have decided its not for them and returned home to the UK. It is sad to see a village empty apart from a few older folk but the younger generation of Bulgaria are going to the UK and elsewhere to earn a better living. I'm not too sure if they will return once they have experienced what they believe to be a good life? and with money in their pockets? the problem is, will they go back to the hard village life? I'm not so sure so this trend I'm afraid may continue? It's sad but that's reality. But in my heart of hearts I do believe that in time the villages will come back to life but at what cost?

Daisy wrote:

I think the Survival of the Fittest applies to villages just as it does to so many things. The villages are probably dying because it's not attractive to younger Bulgarians and I can't imagine that repopulating it with Brits which will only push up property prices is likely to make it any more tempting to them. More people may bring more business to the bars and shops in time but they'll also bring more noise, mess, arguments etc. Also a lot of Brits who purchased property in Bulgarian villages have decided its not for them and returned home to the UK. It is sad to see a village empty apart from a few older folk but the younger generation of Bulgaria are going to the UK and elsewhere to earn a better living. I'm not too sure if they will return once they have experienced what they believe to be a good life? and with money in their pockets? the problem is, will they go back to the hard village life? I'm not so sure so this trend I'm afraid may continue? It's sad but that's reality. But in my heart of hearts I do believe that in time the villages will come back to life but at what cost?

How things have turned a full circle Daisy. The young Bulgarians are off to the hustle and bustle and us older ones move to BG for the tranquil life.

tonyb60

How things have turned a full circle Daisy. The young Bulgarians are off to the hustle and bustle and us older ones move to BG for the tranquil life.


Yes you are right Tony we will be another lot of oldies descending on a Bulgarian village sometime this year. Let's hope that there is more than Clint Eastwood and some tumbleweed rolling down the street by the time we get there!!

Let's hope that there is more than Clint Eastwood and some tumbleweed rolling down the street by the time we get there!!

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I'm sure you will love it when you get here. We do