The demography of the Republic of Bulgaria is monitored by the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. This article is about the demographic features of the population of Bulgaria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Bulgaria has a high Human Development Index of 0.813, ranking 51st in the world in 2018 and holds the 38th position in Newsweeks rankings of the world's best countries to live in, measuring health, education, political environment and economic dynamism. Demographic history Various estimates have put Bulgaria's medieval population at 1.1 million in 700 AD and 2.6 million in 1365. At the 2011 census, the population inhabiting Bulgaria was 7,364,570 in total, but more recent estimates calculate that the population has declined to 6.9 million. The peak was in 1989, the year when the borders opened after a half of a century of communist regime, when the population numbered 9,009,018. Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is an extrapolation Vital statistics Vital Statistics 1875 to 1915 The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World in Data and Gapminder Foundation. Vital statistics 1900–1915 Vital statistics 1916–1940 Vital statistics 1941 to present Source: National Statistical Institute / Current vital statistics Birth rates and fertility In 2016 a total of 64,984 live births were recorded in Bulgaria. The country has a crude birth rate of 9.1‰. Seventy years ago (in the census of 1946), Bulgaria had a crude birth rate of 25,6‰. Ethnic Bulgarians (23,3‰) had a much lower crude birth rate compared to the two largest minorities: Turks (40,9‰) and Roma (47,2‰). However, it is unlikely that this difference continued since then, as birth rates in the Balkan countries dropped sharply. Bulgaria has a low total fertility rate of 1.54 children per woman (at the end of 2016). This is up significantly from the late 1990s, but still below replacement and not enough to prevent further population decline, especially with emigration. Provinces with large Roma populations (for example Sliven, Montana and Yambol) tend to have higher fertility rates (and higher death rates) compared to other areas, whereas Turkish fertility is similar to the Bulgarian majority. Regional differences As of 2017, the municipality of Nikolaevo has the highest crude birth rate with 18.6‰, followed by Tvarditsa (16.7‰)