Languages spoken in Bulgaria
Europe · Capital: Sofia · Population 6.8 million
The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian. An estimated 100% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 6.8 million people. After Bulgarian, the most widely spoken are English at 25% and Russian at 23%. Bulgarian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Bulgarian is not recorded in any of Bulgaria's five neighbours. In total, five languages are recorded in Bulgaria, and their shares add up to 167% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.7 of them.
What languages are spoken in Bulgaria?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| BulgarianIndo-European | 100% | Official | 6.8 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 25% | Spoken | 1.7 million |
| RussianIndo-European | 23% | Spoken | 1.6 million |
| TurkishTurkic | 11% | Spoken | 746,093 |
| GermanIndo-European | 8% | Spoken | 542,613 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Bulgaria?
The official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian. Bulgarian is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 6.8 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Bulgarian in Bulgaria?
An estimated 100% of Bulgaria's 6.8 million people speak Bulgarian, which works out at roughly 6.8 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Bulgaria
- Capital
- Sofia
- Population
- 6.8 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 110,879 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 5
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- BG / BGR / 100
Which countries border Bulgaria?
Bulgaria shares a land border with five countries: Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye. None of them records Bulgarian, the most widely spoken language in Bulgaria, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.