Bulgarians
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
c. 9–11.3 million 7.3 million Bulgaria nationals |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Bulgaria 6,000,000 (2011 est.) |
|
 Turkey
|
351,000–600,000 |
 Greece
|
300,000 |
 Ukraine (2001 area) |
204,574–500,000 |
 Germany
|
226,926 |
 Spain
|
133,427–350,000 |
 United States
|
99,642–300,000 |
 Moldova (incl. Transnistria) |
79,520 |
 Argentina
|
70,000 |
 United Kingdom
|
65,000–150,000 |
 Brazil
|
62,000 |
 Italy
|
56,576–120,000 |
 Canada
|
30,485–70,000 |
 France
|
30,000–50,000 |
 Russia (2010 area) |
24,038–330,000 |
 Austria
|
22,436 |
 Netherlands
|
23,308 |
 Cyprus (excl. TRNC) |
19,197 |
 Serbia
|
18,543 |
 South Africa
|
15,000–20,000 |
 Belgium
|
13,171 |
 Poland
|
10,000–12,000 |
 Sweden
|
8,325 |
 Denmark
|
7,718 |
 Portugal
|
7,553–12,000 |
 Czech Republic
|
10,058 |
 Romania
|
7,336 |
 Kazakhstan
|
6,915 |
 United Arab Emirates
|
6,000–7,000 |
 Australia
|
5,436 |
 Norway
|
5,227 |
| Languages | |
 Bulgarian
|
|
| Religion | |
|
75% Orthodox, 12% none or unknown, 1% Muslim, 1% Catholic and Protestant |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other South Slavs, especially Macedonians | |
|
^ a: The 2011 census figure was 5,664,624. The question on ethnicity was voluntarily and 10% of the population did not declare any ethnicity, thus the figure is considered insufficient and ethnic Bulgarians are estimated at around 6 million. ^ b: Additional number of ethnic Bulgarians did not declare their ethnic group and religion at the same time at the census so these census statistics excludes a significant number of irreligious people (31% of Bulgaria's population.) |
|
75% Orthodox, 12% none or unknown, 1% Muslim, 1% Catholic and Protestant
Bulgarians (Bulgarian: българи, Bǎlgari, IPA: [bɤ̞ɫɡɐri]) are a South Slavic ethnic group who are native to Bulgaria and its neighboring regions.
According to the Art.25 (1) of Constitution of Republic of Bulgaria, a Bulgarian citizen shall be anyone born of at least one parent holding a Bulgarian citizenship, or born on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, should they not be entitled to any other citizenship by virtue of origin. Bulgarian citizenship shall further be acquirable through naturalization.
The Bulgarians descend from peoples with different origins and numbers, which became assimilated and formed a Slavic-speaking ethnicity in the First Bulgarian Empire, three of which left something remarkable:
From the indigenous Thracian people certain cultural and ethnic elements were taken. Other pre-Slavic Indo-European peoples, including Dacians (if distinct from Thracians), Celts, Goths, Romans, Greeks, Sarmatians, Paeonians and Illyrians have also settled into the later Bulgarian land. The Thracian language has been described as a southern Baltic language. It was still spoken in the 6th century, probably becoming extinct afterwards. However, that in a later period the Bulgarians replaced long-established Greek/Latin toponyms with Thracian toponyms might suggest that Thracian had not been completely obliterated then. Some pre-Slavic linguistic and cultural traces might have been preserved in modern Bulgarians (and Macedonians). Medieval historians claimed that the Triballi are the largest tribe and that they subsequently changed their name to Bulgarians or Serbs. Others claimed that the Paeonians are Bulgarians.Scythia Minor and Moesia Inferior appear to have been Romanized, although the region became a focus of barbarian re-settlements (various Goths and Huns) during the 4th and early 5th centuries AD, before a further "Romanization" episode during the early 6th century. According to archeological evidence from the late periods of Roman rule, the Romans did not decrease the number of Thracians significantly in major cities. By the 4th century the major city of Serdica had predominantly Thracian populace based on epigraphic evidence, which shows prevailing Latino-Thracian given names, but thereafter the names were completely replaced by Christian ones.
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