Bulgaria has a population of around 6.4 million — down sharply from 9 million in 1990, largely due to emigration to Western Europe after EU accession in 2007. It's one of the EU's demographic stories: an aging population, low birth rate, and a generation of young Bulgarians who left for better wages in Germany, Spain, and the UK. Those who stayed have built something: a small but genuine creative and tech scene, mainly in Sofia.
Around 84% of the population are ethnic Bulgarians. Turks make up about 8–9%, concentrated in the Rhodope region and northeast Bulgaria, a legacy of the Ottoman period. Roma are the third-largest group, officially around 4–5% but estimated higher in reality. There are small communities of Armenians, Russians, and Greeks, particularly in Plovdiv and the coast.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has been central to national identity since the 9th century, when Saints Cyril and Methodius developed the Glagolitic script — the precursor to Cyrillic — to translate the scriptures. Religion is more cultural than practiced for many Bulgarians today, but monasteries remain places of genuine pilgrimage and community life.
Bulgarians have a reputation for hospitality that isn't marketing copy — arriving at a home without being offered coffee, rakia, and food requires considerable effort. Expect directness, a certain wry humor about the country's troubles, and genuine warmth toward visitors who make an effort.
One cultural note worth knowing: Bulgarians nod their head to mean "no" and shake it to mean "yes" — the opposite of most of the world. This causes real confusion and is not a myth.