Bulgaria has one of the world’s fastest-shrinking populations, primarily attributed to a high death rate and a low birth rate. Major health-related issues, such as high rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, contribute to Bulgaria’s elevated mortality rate. Furthermore, Bulgaria faces challenges in retaining its younger population due to a lack of economic opportunities and declining living standards in certain areas, indirectly contributing to its demographic decline.

After joining EU and NATO. No army. No agriculture. No serious manufacturing capability. Corruption. Crime. Failing infrastructure. And now fractured energy sector. The cheap IT labor and political mafia money laundering keeps the illusion a float.

Lost identity and culture. 500 years under Ottoman Empire. 45 under Soviets (statistically economy and population growth in the period). And 34 under Britain and USA (total failure and no sovereignty).

Cyrillic alphabet is the most phonetically accurate, they have a letter for every sound you make with your mouth. One sad story for the country founded in 681 b.c.

The First Bulgarian Empire (Church Slavonic: блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, romanized: blŭgarĭsko tsěsarǐstvije; Bulgarian: Първо българско царство) was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh, moved south to the northeastern Balkans.