As of 31 December 2024, the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is administratively divided into 28 administrative districts and 265 municipalities, within which there are 3 041 individual mayoralties. The total number of settlements is 5 256, of which 257 towns and 4 999 villages, while the settlement formations are 166 (including 8 of national and 158 of local importance). The largest municipalities with population above 100 000 inhabitants are eight - Stolichna, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Ruse, Sliven and Pleven. The share of the population in these eight municipalities represents 41.1% of the total country’s population. In the cities with population of over 100 000 people, lives 35.5% of the country’s population. Their number remains the same as in 2023, but Stara Zagora surpasses Ruse and becomes the fifth largest city in the country. There are 199 settlements without population. The highest number of settlements without population is in the districts of Veliko Tarnovo (66), Gabrovo (64), Kyustendil (10), Kardzhali (9) and Sofia (9).
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