Thirty-eight per cent of all Bulgarian births in 2000 were illegitimate. This is three times more than 10 years ago, according to data published by the National Statistical Institute on Sunday.

In 1990, only 12.4 per cent of children were born outside of marriage. NSI experts claim that the number of illegitimate children is mainly due to the appearance of new family models that do not fit the definition of marriage. They are called "consent marriages" and refer to couples that live together without being officially married.

In 2000, 74,234 children were born in Bulgaria, 99.3 per cent of them alive. The figure of children born alive is the highest for the period of 1995-2000. The mortality rate in 2000 was nine per 1,000. It reached its lowest level in 1997, when it was 7.7 per 1,000.

Compared to other European countries, the birth rate statistics for Bulgaria continue to be lower. In the last few decades all these countries estimated a decrease in their birth rate, but they also registered stabilization. Among the EU candidates, the countries with higher birth rates than Bulgaria are Poland, Lithuania and Hungary, those with lower rates are the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia.

In 2000, 115,087 people died which equates to 14.1 per 1,000. The death rate peaked at 14.7 per 1,000 in 1997. Bulgaria registered one of the highest death rates for Europe in 2000. Only Hungary had a higher death rate of 14.2 per 1,000. The other European countries have figures varying from 8.8 per 1,000 (Luxembourg) to 13.5 per 1,000 (Latvia).

According to the NSI the major causes of death continue to be diseases of blood circulation organs, followed by tumors, traumas and poisonings, and respiratory and digestive system diseases.

The natural growth rate improved slightly in 2000 to minus 5.1 per 1,000. Among EU members, only Sweden and Germany have a negative population growth: minus 0.7 and minus one per 1,000, respectively. For other EU members, the population growth is positive and ranges from 0 per 1,000 (Austria) to 3.4 per 1,000 (France) and even 4.4 per 1,000 (Luxembourg). Latvia is the only EU membership candidate that has worse population growth than Bulgaria: minus 5.5 per 1,000. All Eastern European countries have a negative population growth with the exception of Slovakia, which has positive growth of less than one per 1,000, the NSI said.