Plunging Population in Poorest EU State Nears World War II Level

Bulgaria’s population is on course to shrink to levels last seen after the devastation of World War II.

Like much of the ex-communist region, the European Union’s poorest member has watched its citizens head west in droves to snag fatter salaries in countries including the U.K. Add to that already low fertility rates and a growing share of elderly people, and Bulgaria is among the most exposed to demographic threats. The population is on track to drop below 7 million.