MigrantoBulgarian Diaspora
1.3M Bulgarians live abroad — the #58 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 63% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 348052 |
| Germany | 338439 |
| Spain | 103587 |
| Greece | 78992 |
| Netherlands | 58481 |
| Belgium | 51857 |
| Italy | 50769 |
| Austria | 38651 |
| France | 35728 |
| Canada | 20575 |
| Israel | 18875 |
| Czech Republic | 12878 |
| Denmark | 12544 |
| Switzerland | 12532 |
| Sweden | 11009 |
| Norway | 8109 |
| Portugal | 6682 |
| Cyprus | 6498 |
| Malta | 4743 |
| Romania | 4443 |
| Australia | 3874 |
| Finland | 3021 |
| Slovakia | 2822 |
| Russia | 2615 |
| Poland | 2585 |
| Luxembourg | 1975 |
| Ukraine | 1784 |
| Hungary | 1676 |
| Slovenia | 1585 |
| North Macedonia | 1079 |
| Serbia | 896 |
| Iceland | 778 |
| South Africa | 766 |
| Moldova | 446 |
| Argentina | 366 |
| Estonia | 342 |
| Mexico | 289 |
| Croatia | 271 |
| Brazil | 270 |
| Georgia | 237 |
| Lithuania | 147 |
| Panama | 133 |
| Venezuela | 127 |
| Latvia | 103 |
| Costa Rica | 103 |
| Dominican Republic | 82 |
| Montenegro | 76 |
| Faroe Islands | 73 |
| Nicaragua | 64 |
| Belarus | 58 |
| Namibia | 32 |
| Bolivia | 29 |
| Bahamas | 22 |
| Liechtenstein | 21 |
| Greenland | 17 |
| Mongolia | 16 |
| Cuba | 9 |
| Guinea | 1 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 68%
851.8K
373.7K
20.6K
3.9K
1.5K
799
16
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Bulgaria.
Netherlands is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to the Netherlands has increased by 178% since 2015, rising from 21K to 58.5K in 9 years.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 77% to 28%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
The share of emigrants going to the Middle East has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to the Middle East has shifted from 81.3% to 29.8% since 1990.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
7 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Spain, Netherlands, Czech Republic — Spain rose from outside the top 20 to rank #3.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 597707 |
| 1995 | 661065 |
| 2000 | 707846 |
| 2005 | 808373 |
| 2010 | 926056 |
| 2015 | 1030383 |
| 2020 | 1178732 |
| 2024 | 1252234 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Turkey | Germany | Spain | Greece | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 462221 | 34540 | 0 | 7509 | 663 |
| 1995 | 471243 | 57398 | 7279 | 22834 | 1072 |
| 2000 | 480265 | 51558 | 21096 | 38534 | 1762 |
| 2005 | 448154 | 55861 | 94273 | 56513 | 3230 |
| 2010 | 413362 | 76221 | 143717 | 77194 | 14187 |
| 2015 | 380354 | 174357 | 124625 | 72744 | 21026 |
| 2020 | 363507 | 295226 | 113958 | 74359 | 36749 |
| 2024 | 348052 | 338439 | 103587 | 78992 | 58481 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Bulgaria as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Bulgaria
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do Bulgarians move to?
Most Bulgarians have moved to Turkey, Germany and Spain — these three countries account for about 63% of all Bulgarians living abroad.
How many Bulgarians live abroad?
Around 1.3M Bulgarians live abroad, making it the #58-largest emigrant population in the world.
What share of the population of Bulgaria lives abroad?
About 19% of the population of Bulgaria lives abroad — that's 1.3M out of a total population of 6.4M.
How has emigration from Bulgaria changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Bulgaria has grown from 1M to 1.3M people, a growth of about 22%.
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