It is presented the problem about the human evolution while the homo-sapiens is a center among the ecological systems, shaked off the natural selection and performing demographic expansion, facing the challenges of its own reproduction as well. There are discussed the highest growth rates of population during the last three centuries and the danger of exhausting of resources for existing of today`s and future generations. The club of Rome is one of the first informal scientist`s group-signal giver about of this. It was indicated at the 70th of the 20th century by the method of systems dynamics the high growth rate of population of the developing countries and its stop have been recommended, while the UN undertook a multisided population program aiming the birth control and acceleration of the demographic transition in those countries (embracing at present 81% of the world population, about 7 bil. towards 2011). It is underlined that many versions are prepared about the future population growth and of the transition finalizing but nothing is been said about the post transition perspectives. Right in this connection the Bulgarian case has been presented as an example of fast transition without reaching stable population and jumping into negative natural growth while the lowing birth rates, increasing mortality and fast ageing are dominating – a process acquiring nature of crisis. A hypothesis is that the same model could be followed by the global population. This model considered by some Bulgarian scholars as fifth stage of the demographic transition, probably might lead to the end of the Homo sapiens existence. Avoiding of such perspective is to be among the key problems assigned to scientific researchers and considered as responsibility not only regarding the next generation, but the human being surviving on the planet.

The trend of population decreasing since the beginning of the 21st century in some European countries is considered in this article. The study is aimed at presenting the empirical evolution of negative population growth in order to make a raw assessment of the dimensions and scale of this phenomenon as well as of its components and their trends over the past decade. The results of an analysis of the total rate of population increase dynamics among the EU countries over the period 2001–2012 are presented in this article. Three indicators were used in the analysis: total rate of population growth, crude rate of natural increase and crude rate of net migration. A 4-group classification of the countries was applied to the indicators analysed focussing on the negative and zero population growth. Thus, a general estimate of the evolution of the groups of countries with decreasing or stagnating population over the period considered was made. Data of Eurostat datasets and of the UN Population Department publications were used in the study. Causes for negative population growth emerging in some of the European countries over the period mentioned are considered. Its general demographic effects are outlined for the countries having high values and longstanding trend of population decrease after the example of Bulgaria.

An overview of traditional and latest research methods on fertility, focussing particular on the aspects related to the process of postponement of births is presented in this study. Due to the observed low levels of fertility in most of the developed countries over the last decades, the debate on period fertility measures and their interpretation was resumed. The research of the fertility process only on the basis of period measures, such as the total fertility rate, does not allow in-depth studying of all its characteristics and determinants. More over, such approach could distort the outcomes and conclusions about the recent and what is more important, the future, women’s reproductive behaviour. Over the last years, the relevance of the process of parenthood postponement and its long-term effects on fertility rates led to the development of a number of methods analysing the various aspects of that process. The aim of this study is to give a brief overview, without being exhaustive, of the methods developed lately to correct period and cohort fertility measures, as well as to predict the completed fertility of cohorts of women still of childbearing age. Adjusted measures are more accurate indicators of fertility than observed in a given year. At the same time, the cohort analysis of fertility in transition to postponement of births and the possible subsequent recovery of deferred births would provide a better base both for constructing accurate projections of the fertility evolution and for making the right policy decisions to alleviate effects of observed low levels of fertility in the coming decades.

Fertility dynamics during the last decades is analyzed in the paper. The central argument is that teenage fertility in Bulgaria is too high compared to the other European countries, what calls the need for a special policy. The society is misguided with respect to the assessment of fertility trends, as far as the general opinion it that it is too low and decreasing, while in reality it has been increasing during the last decade. The present levels of fertility are at the European medium level. The tendencies are upwards, and the expectation based on some demographic arguments (restructuring of the age distribution of fertility) are that this trend will continue in the future. Nevertheless urgent policy is needed to decrease the teenage fertility. With the present policy the high teenage fertility is a modus of poverty alleviation, preformed rationally in a specific (“traditional”) social setting, typical for some segments of the ethnic Roma population. In these settings young people (teenagers) are being pushed to early childbearing by their extremely poor families as a source of income (provided by social assistance allowances distributed upon the income “per capita”) for the whole family. At the same time these teenagers, who become parents, “drop out” from school, which in turn perpetuates the vicious circle of poverty and early childbearing.

This analysis attempts to trace how the marriage as a social phenomenon and the family as an integrative structure of society that supported the social order change over time. The main focus will be on the dynamics of the concept of marriage and family in terms of individual and macro sociological level, where the historical factors which have influenced this dynamic are discussed and. Another major task of the work is to track what are the new alternative forms of marriage and family institution in a global aspect. Besides marriage and family institution an important point in this article is the changing face of divorce: causes, trends and factors characterizing the dissolution of the marriage in today’s society. The approach in this study is sociological and it is tracking down the dynamics in the above mentioned institutions and social trends. The ultimate goal is complemented by a “methodological” desire to identify indicators of effective and objective sociological diagnosis and forecasting.

This paper aims to reveal people’s attitudes and expectations toward family policy, in particular family benefits as instruments for policy implementation during the period of significant social changes over the last 20 years. We keep in mind that the subjective ingredient of policy analysis, i.e. people’s evaluation depends on socio-political and economic context that defines the frames for social policy functioning. The authors’ analysis is based on two tasks: 1) to outline some main findings from recent national and international surveys focused on the topic of people’s evaluation of social policy measures; 2) to present online forums analysis using media data collected during the period 2011–2013. Through thematic analysis the main topics, principles and differences in people’s attitudes toward parental leave have been demonstrated in forums discussions. The mixed picture of opinions is in line with the contradictory acts social policy has initiated after 1990. The analysis indicates that people’s discourses on social and family policy are very important in a process of construction of evidence-based policy and its efficacy.

As the small rural villages in Bulgaria are defined villages with a population of 200 inhabitants. Half of the 5,000 villages in Bulgaria fall into this category , but they occupied only 8.2 percent of the country‘s rural population according to the census of population and housing in 2011. Due to the prolonged impact of the processes of depopulation on vast , predominantly agricultural areas in the country , the category of the smallest villages increased significantly in scope during the period after 1946. The main reason for such kind of development is depopulation of villages with a population of 500, 1000 or even 2000 people who have passed into the category of the smallest settlements. At the same time, at least a large number of settlements from viewing the category is deleted in the past 6 decades by the complete depopulation , and in nearly 200 existing smallest villages no longer lives . Demographic situation among residents of the smallest villages, located mainly in mountain regions, is very difficult because of the marginal population aging . Only in inhabited mainly by pomacs in Rhodopes mountains small villages a positive natural growth is registered. This region has a chance for sustainable development due to relatively low migration mobility among the youngest rural population in Bulgaria.

The population ageing is considered as a process impacting reshaping of the entire population and economic reproduction. Its specification are expressed by the high rate of old age restructuring of population (20.4% of people of 60+ in 1990; 25.1% – 2010] 26.6% – 2030) while the living condition are worsening, birth rate is falling and the death rate is augmenting during the transition period to the market economy (since 1989). Having in view the EU concepts of active ageing and the option of many European scholars about the utility of the old population under the responsibility of the government and society, the author of this article adopt the same position. In addition, using its capacity of the olders is considered as an only alternative solution in the condition of lack of young labour force low income and pension level and still available work capable old population, keeping to large extend their professional knowledge and ability.. The increasing the human length of life, still not succeeded in the country, is underline as a main source among the other sources of economic growth and thus – an acting factor of increasing the standard of living of all generations and of population sustainability as well.

An effort to set up a theoretical model of relations between the educational structure of the economically active population and the major determinants of its evolution is made in the present study. The results obtained of the identification and analysis of the factors for changing the educational level of the economically active population in Bulgaria over the transition period to market economy are set out in it. The notion of “educational structure” was used as a measure of the educational level of the population. The study includes the most significant determinants having impact on the setting up and the moment state of the educational structure of the economically active population over the transition period. The results of the review of the specialised economic and demographic studies on the problem of modelling the relations between the educational structure of the economically active population and the major determinants of its evolution are summarised. The categories macroeconomic models where the educational level of the population is presented as a separate element and which could be used for identifying the relations between the educational structure of the economically active population and the major determinants of its evolution at macroeconomic level are discussed. A review of the published researches where object of study are partial dependences of the educational structure of the economically active population (or its sub-groups) and a specified determinant and the models of these connections. Two theoretical models describing the process of forming and the moment state of the educational structure of the economically active population in Bulgaria over the period considered are propounded.

The current study describes how through a complete analysis on the research of Bulgarian historical demography we determine its place in the Bulgarian historiography. Investigating the historiography devoted on this topic allowed us to reach one main conclusion: despite the results in the research of the demographical history of Bulgaria, it is still in an early stage of its development as a separate domain in the historiography of our country. In order to overpass this stage and to reveal the perspectives in its development we determine the main future tasks for the researchers who would put their efforts in this research field.

This article addresses an understudied problem in historical demographic research in Bulgaria – divorces among the Christians in the 19th century. Information about them is found in the Codices of the Tarnovo and Plovdiv Metropolises and The Book of Minutes of Haskovo Bulgarian church community. The article presents the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church regarding marriage and its termination, and the provisions of customary law and their registration in the sources. Interesting is the dynamics of the divorces in the Tarnovo Mitropolia for the period 1847–1878, the clarification as to its causes remain the subject of further study.

The article explores the problems, associated with the policy of the Ottoman rule concerning the immigration in Bulgarian lands during the XVIII–XIX century (until 1878) of non-Muslims (Christians and Jews) from the Habsburg (Austrian) Empire, the Russian Empire, the Danubian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia (Romania) and other European countries. The study defines the objectives of The Sublime Porte with the adoption and placement in Bulgarian lands of European immigrants non-Muslims, the means, used by the Ottoman rule for the realization of this policy and the results.