Preliminary data: Sofia has fewer homeless people than major European cities

However, the count does not include categories 5 and 6 according to ETHOS

Preliminary results from the first-ever census of homeless people in Sofia show that our capital has a significantly lower number of homeless people compared to other major European cities. The survey was conducted between October 20 and 26 as part of the international project “European Census of Homelessness”, funded by the European Commission.

The final data will be known in January 2026. According to preliminary data, the number of homeless people in Sofia is significantly lower than that in other European capitals: for example, there are 12 times more homeless people in Lyon, five times more in Budapest, and three times more in Bucharest.

“This is not just a matter of field counting, but also of profiling people on the street,” explained Assoc. Prof. Stoyanka Cherkezova from the Institute for Population and Human Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

“This information is extremely important for us because it will become a basis for developing real policies that will provide adequate care — the kind that is really needed, and not for us to work piecemeal,” said Deputy Mayor for Social Activities and Integration of People with Disabilities Nadezhda Bacheva.

A total of 53 volunteers, including a team from the Health and Social Development Foundation, collected information on the duration of homelessness, the distribution of people by age and region, their health status, professions and needs.

Despite the relatively low official data for the capital, the real need for social support may be underestimated due to the difficulty in accessing people falling into these “hidden” categories.

It is important to note that the census methodology does not include people in housing vulnerability (ETHOS categories 5 and 6) living in unsafe or inadequate housing. It is this group of homeless people that is the focus of our work on the SOLACE-CEE project, because it is also necessary to seek sustainable solutions for them.

This publication is part of the SOLACE-CEE project, funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.