SOUTH-EAST REGION - Population
Intense migratory flows
At the end of 2002, the population numbered 788 285, accounting for 10% of the country's total population. The average density here is 53.8 inhabitants per km2 (2002 data), and is the second lowest in the country. In contrast to the Yambol, Bourgas and Sliven municipalities, which have over 200 people per km2, the density in the Stranga area drops as low as 20 people per km2. Two-thirds of the population live in the towns, and just over half reside in the Bourgas oblast. Overall, the population is concentrated in the major towns, while only a small share of the population lives in the rest of the region.
The population has decreased by 3.4% in the period from 1995 to 2001. A major factor behind this is emigration to Bulgaria's south-eastern neighbour, Turkey. Overall, a drop in living standards and a high unemployment level contribute substantially to the high volume of migratory flows to other regions. Partly as a result of this trend, the natural increment has been negative in the last years.
Some 30% of the population are below the age of 25 (at the end of 2002), which is the highest share amongst the six Bulgarian regions, while those aged 65 and over account for 16%, against 17% nationally. The share of those aged up to 25 years is largest in the Sliven oblast and smallest in the Yambol oblast. The demographic situation is of particular concern in the Boliarovo, Malko Tarnovo and Strandja municipalities, where the average age is very high.
The life expectancy figure at 69.8 is the lowest nationally, and is the only one below 70. The values of this indicator reach as low as 68.6 in the region of Sliven.
The ageing of the population causes the decrease in the birth rate and the increase in the death rate. Nevertheless, the birth rate has constantly being one of the highest nationally for the last 6 years, reaching 9.6 per thousand in 2002 (the highest amongst the Bulgarian regions). The death rate, at 13.5 per thousand, is lower compared to the national average of 14.3 per thousand (2002 figures). The infant mortality rate, at 20.0 per thousand live births in 2002, was the highest amongst the Bulgarian regions. However, the infant mortality rate suffered substantial fluctuations from 1995 to 1999, reaching as high as 27.4 in 1997, which was the highest figure nationally for this period.
The population is heterogeneous in terms of ethnic structure and culture. Bulgarians account for 84.3%, while gypsies and Turks account for 4.8% and 9.7% of the total respectively. However, within these minorities schooling tends to be only at primary or secondary level, which has resulted in an overall drop in the education level.
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