“Part of the answer is, of course, that the value system of Bulgarians as a whole is changing, but we have not reduced our desire to give birth, that is, our biological desire is maintained, especially after a certain age”, this is what Adrian Kirilov from the think tank “Perspektiva” commented on the statistics on the average age of childbirth in Bulgaria on the air of the program “Social Network” on NOVA NEWS.
According to Nikolov, after the age of 27, women increasingly feel ready, capable and confident enough in themselves as individuals to take this important step. He specified that postponing childbirth is modern and value-oriented due to various socio-economic reasons. “Mothers increasingly want to educate themselves with additional qualifications and higher specializations”, added Kirilov.
According to the expert, the economic and labor environment also has an impact, since young people are employed with a simple employment contract, which is difficult to reconcile with a two-year maternity leave, and sometimes this is considered a problem by the employer itself. “We did more research regarding regional imbalances, because for example in Sliven, 22 years old is the average age for first birth, while in Sofia, for example, it is close to 31 years old”, revealed Adrian Kirilov. This shows that in larger cities, couples decide to take this step later and later.
Another main factor is related to the form of cohabitation. “61 percent of newborns in recent years, for 2025, these are the data I cite, were born out of wedlock”, emphasized Kirilov. According to him, in these cases, the children have a different status, the property relations in the couple are not regulated by law, the child is adopted through recognition, not through actual paternity, and there is no presumed inheritance status.
Nikolov explained that to address the problems, a housing policy is needed, resolving the kindergarten issue and creating multidisciplinary support centers with an economic, psychosomatic and legal focus.