Living in Sliven
In Sliven, unemployment is 12.5% (2021).
Sliven, a city in Bulgaria, had a population of 109,879 at the end of 2025. In September 2021, the unemployment rate was 12.5%.
Cheaper rent than 88% of Bulgarian cities that publish it and higher unemployment than 81% of Bulgarian cities that publish it.
Which Bulgaria-wide rules apply when you move to Sliven?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
How much does it cost to rent in Sliven?
Average net cold rent is 1.25 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges.
Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.
- Average net rent (nettokalt): 1.25 EUR/m²/month · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m27
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 20 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | A1 Bulgaria fixed internet1Official · national market |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 15.9 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | Vivacom mobile data plan12Official · national market |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 1.25 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 | 31 Dec 2020 | NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m27Official |
Is Sliven a good place to live?
There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 75 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 1.25 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.
Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Sliven?
The unemployment rate is 12.5 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality9
Sliven 12.5%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross earnings | 874.6 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)2Official · county |
| Unemployment rate | 12.5 %country median 9.2% | 7 Sept 2021 | NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality9Official |
Unemployment rate fell 72.5% between 2011 and 2022, from 18.6% to 5.1%.
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Sliven. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Employment Agency — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Sliven. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Safety
How safe is Sliven?
Police recorded about 1,290 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population11
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 1,290 incidents per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population11Official · county |
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Sliven. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Free Bulgarian language courses for people displaced from Ukraine — State Language Course
Government of Bulgaria / Bulgaria for Ukraine
For people displaced from Ukraine, adults, children.
Climate and air quality
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
hours
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM10 — annual mean | 24 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Sliven)3Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 6.1 · Feb 8.5 · Mar 12.6 · Apr 17.9 · May 23.1 · Jun 27.5 · Jul 30.1 · Aug 30.5 · Sep 25.4 · Oct 19.1 · Nov 12.7 · Dec 7.4 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN13Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan -1.1 · Feb 0.1 · Mar 3.2 · Apr 7.3 · May 12.1 · Jun 16.4 · Jul 18.6 · Aug 18.6 · Sep 14.3 · Oct 9.7 · Nov 4.9 · Dec 0.4 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN13Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 2.1 · Feb 3.8 · Mar 7.3 · Apr 12.1 · May 17.3 · Jun 21.7 · Jul 24.3 · Aug 24.2 · Sep 19.2 · Oct 13.6 · Nov 8.3 · Dec 3.5 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN13Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 40 · Feb 40 · Mar 41 · Apr 41 · May 66 · Jun 70 · Jul 48 · Aug 39 · Sep 52 · Oct 48 · Nov 45 · Dec 54 mm | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN13Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 104 · Feb 125 · Mar 166 · Apr 205 · May 257 · Jun 292 · Jul 330 · Aug 322 · Sep 244 · Oct 177 · Nov 114 · Dec 95 hours | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN13Official · nearest-station reading |
Similar climate. In Bulgaria: Varna ±0.8 °C. Elsewhere: Murfreesboro (United States) ±2.0 °C, Timișoara (Romania) ±1.4 °C, Craiova (Romania) ±1.6 °C, Brăila (Romania) ±1.5 °C, Galați (Romania) ±1.5 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month
Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Sliven?
The published population was 109,879 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities8
Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 919 is not 1.1% of the population. Each row names its source.
By nationality
National passport99.2%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 1,367 km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat GISCO, European Commission5Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 1.1 % | 31 Dec 2022 | Eurostat4Official |
| Foreign residents | 919 people | 31 Dec 2022 | Eurostat4Official |
| City area | 192.5 km² | 31 Dec 2024 | migrationfit.com6Official |
| Population density | 477 people/km² | 31 Dec 2024 | migrationfit.com6Official |
| Population | 109,879 people | 31 Dec 2025 | NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities8Official |
Foreign residents rose 176.8% between 2011 and 2022, from 332 to 919.
Alternatives for people set on Sliven
Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.
Asenovgrad as a Sliven alternative in the same country
Better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.
- Nearest airport: 6.0 km Asenovgrad vs 26.0 km Sliven−77%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 994 Asenovgrad vs 1,290 Sliven−23%
- Unemployment: 10.1% Asenovgrad vs 12.5% Sliven−19%
- Residents: 56,647 Asenovgrad vs 109,879 Sliven−48%
Alternative cities in Bulgaria
Other cities in Bulgaria to compare with Sliven, nearest in population first.
How does Sliven compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Sliven's.
Sliven in rankings
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sliven when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.
Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.
Open the official coverage guideSchool for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 7 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Free Bulgarian-language training for migrant children (school-based intensive language preparation). How to enrol a child (mon.gov.bg).
A country-wide rule for Bulgaria; Sliven's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Sliven?
The published population was 109,879 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities.
How much does it cost to rent in Sliven?
Average net cold rent is 1.25 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 88 EUR a month before utilities. Source: NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2.
How safe is Sliven?
Police recorded about 1,290 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population.
What is the unemployment rate in Sliven?
The unemployment rate is 12.5 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.
How many foreign residents live in Sliven?
919 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat.
Is Sliven a good place to live?
Sliven may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Sliven, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c4cf2eebf299d0d75e2b2d53dcc8d70d]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/sliven/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sliven-bulgaria-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_4963c0fc522d,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Sliven, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {c4cf2eebf299d0d75e2b2d53dcc8d70d},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/sliven/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Sliven, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/sliven/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c4cf2eebf299d0d75e2b2d53dcc8d70d; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- A1 Bulgaria fixed internet a1.bg · checked 2026-09-15
- Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR) nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-23
- EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Sliven) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- Eurostat GISCO, European Commission gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
- NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2 NSI City Statistics · nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-18
- NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities NSI Infostat 1062 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
- NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 3 more sources
- Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population mvr.bg · checked 2026-09-28
- Vivacom mobile data plan vivacom.bg · checked 2026-09-15
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SLIVEN WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.