In shrinking Bulgaria, where are the people?

According to a projection by the Population Reference Bureau, a nongovernmental organization in Washington, Bulgaria’s population will decline by 34 percent from 2005 to 2050, from 7.7 million to 5 million.

The only country likely to lose more of its people in that span was Swaziland, where 38 percent of the population has HIV. Although declining population is affecting many other countries in Europe, the problem in Bulgaria is complicated by the low standard of living.

The Sofia Weekly, Abstract; subscription needed for full text