MigrantoImmigrants in Bulgaria
298.3K foreigners live in Bulgaria — 5% of the country's population
Immigrants in Bulgaria by country
The 3 largest groups make up 44% of all immigrants
| Country | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| Ukraine | 61074 |
| Russia | 45089 |
| Syria | 24543 |
| Turkey | 19877 |
| Germany | 17311 |
| United Kingdom | 16476 |
| Greece | 11085 |
| Spain | 10245 |
| North Macedonia | 6345 |
| Italy | 5492 |
| Romania | 4839 |
| USA | 4750 |
| Serbia | 4462 |
| Moldova | 4324 |
| France | 4154 |
| Belgium | 3584 |
| Kazakhstan | 3174 |
| Poland | 2676 |
| Austria | 2665 |
| Azerbaijan | 2654 |
| Armenia | 2478 |
| Netherlands | 2437 |
| China | 2132 |
| Czech Republic | 2108 |
| Cyprus | 2034 |
| Iraq | 1910 |
| Albania | 1858 |
| Belarus | 1526 |
| Lebanon | 1411 |
| Uzbekistan | 1272 |
| Israel | 1133 |
| Canada | 1035 |
| Vietnam | 975 |
| Switzerland | 825 |
| Portugal | 782 |
| Denmark | 763 |
| India | 760 |
| Norway | 749 |
| Bangladesh | 741 |
| Sweden | 707 |
| Georgia | 677 |
| Iran | 653 |
| Algeria | 633 |
| Afghanistan | 586 |
| Slovakia | 542 |
| Hungary | 538 |
| Ireland | 529 |
| Egypt | 492 |
| UAE | 477 |
| South Africa | 461 |
| Turkmenistan | 436 |
| Cuba | 414 |
| Australia | 406 |
| Libya | 404 |
| Jordan | 403 |
| Pakistan | 399 |
| Nigeria | 338 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 326 |
| South Korea | 316 |
| Kuwait | 312 |
| Japan | 303 |
| Latvia | 300 |
| Finland | 290 |
| Brazil | 289 |
| Tajikistan | 232 |
| Malta | 227 |
| Bosnia | 226 |
| Lithuania | 217 |
| Morocco | 215 |
| Philippines | 213 |
| Tunisia | 206 |
| Saudi Arabia | 191 |
| Slovenia | 177 |
| Argentina | 175 |
| Croatia | 172 |
| Luxembourg | 150 |
| Estonia | 142 |
| Mongolia | 139 |
| Mexico | 133 |
| Yemen | 128 |
| Palestine | 114 |
| Colombia | 94 |
| Ethiopia | 87 |
| Indonesia | 87 |
| New Zealand | 87 |
| British Virgin Islands | 83 |
| Qatar | 80 |
| Thailand | 78 |
| Dominican Republic | 77 |
| Venezuela | 72 |
| Sudan | 66 |
| Zimbabwe | 56 |
| Montenegro | 56 |
| Mozambique | 52 |
| Nicaragua | 52 |
| North Korea | 51 |
| Singapore | 45 |
| Peru | 45 |
| Anguilla | 41 |
| Ghana | 40 |
| Iceland | 40 |
| Kenya | 39 |
| Bahrain | 39 |
| Ecuador | 39 |
| Benin | 37 |
| Chile | 37 |
| Republic of Congo | 36 |
| Botswana | 36 |
| Cameroon | 33 |
| Somalia | 32 |
| Bhutan | 32 |
| Bolivia | 30 |
| Sri Lanka | 28 |
| Malaysia | 28 |
| Burundi | 25 |
| Isle of Man | 25 |
| Uruguay | 23 |
| Nepal | 22 |
| Angola | 21 |
| Ivory Coast | 21 |
| Vanuatu | 21 |
| Senegal | 19 |
| Eritrea | 18 |
| Tanzania | 18 |
| Zambia | 18 |
| DR Congo | 18 |
| Burkina Faso | 18 |
| Cambodia | 18 |
| Monaco | 17 |
| El Salvador | 15 |
| Uganda | 12 |
| Gambia | 12 |
| Guinea | 12 |
| Oman | 12 |
| Gibraltar | 12 |
| Gabon | 11 |
| Namibia | 11 |
| Costa Rica | 11 |
| Panama | 10 |
| Liberia | 8 |
| Mauritius | 7 |
| Cape Verde | 7 |
| Jamaica | 7 |
| Samoa | 7 |
| Chad | 6 |
| San Marino | 6 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 6 |
| Haiti | 6 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 6 |
| Guatemala | 6 |
| Honduras | 6 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 4 |
| Mali | 4 |
| Togo | 4 |
| Aruba | 4 |
| Bahamas | 4 |
| Barbados | 4 |
| Cayman Islands | 4 |
| Guyana | 4 |
| Paraguay | 4 |
| Kiribati | 4 |
| Djibouti | 3 |
| Malawi | 3 |
| Mauritania | 3 |
| Suriname | 3 |
| Madagascar | 1 |
| Rwanda | 1 |
| Seychelles | 1 |
| Eswatini | 1 |
| Sierra Leone | 1 |
| Brunei | 1 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 |
| Bermuda | 1 |
| Greenland | 1 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 |
| Nauru | 1 |
| Niger | 0 |
| Maldives | 0 |
| Laos | 0 |
| Andorra | 0 |
| Vatican City | 0 |
| Dominica | 0 |
| Belize | 0 |
| Fiji | 0 |
| Marshall Islands | 0 |
| Tokelau | 0 |
| Tonga | 0 |
| Tuvalu | 0 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 0 |
By region of origin
72% of immigrants come from Europe
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Key facts
Immigrants in Bulgaria in numbers
The immigrant population has grown 62% since 2020
The number of foreigners living in Bulgaria rose from 183.8K to 298.3K in four years.
The map of origins has changed since 1990
8 countries have entered the top 20 origins since 1990: United Kingdom, Spain, Italy. United Kingdom climbed from outside the top 20 to #6.
Immigrants come from a wider range of countries than in 1990
The largest group's share fell from 36% to 20%.
Immigrant population in Bulgaria over time
Foreigners living in Bulgaria, by year
| Year | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 19077 |
| 1995 | 30381 |
| 2000 | 41600 |
| 2005 | 59577 |
| 2010 | 74959 |
| 2015 | 123405 |
| 2020 | 183806 |
| 2024 | 298333 |
Largest groups over time
The 5 largest groups in Bulgaria, by year
| Year | Ukrainians | Russians | Syrians | Turks | Germans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1671 | 6899 | 473 | 743 | 252 |
| 1995 | 2451 | 8936 | 606 | 1377 | 625 |
| 2000 | 3230 | 10972 | 738 | 2010 | 998 |
| 2005 | 4311 | 14064 | 942 | 2822 | 1457 |
| 2010 | 5327 | 16970 | 1134 | 3587 | 1889 |
| 2015 | 6164 | 21381 | 15502 | 8130 | 4846 |
| 2020 | 11275 | 32789 | 17848 | 14454 | 12588 |
| 2024 | 61074 | 45089 | 24543 | 19877 | 17311 |
Fastest-changing groups
How each group's numbers have changed since the selected year
Share of each diaspora living in Bulgaria
Of each group's emigrants worldwide, the share who live in Bulgaria
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many foreigners live in Bulgaria?
Around 298.3K immigrants live in Bulgaria — the world's #99 largest immigrant population.
What percentage of the population of Bulgaria are immigrants?
Immigrants make up around 5% of the population of Bulgaria — that's 298.3K out of a total population of 6.4M.
Where do most immigrants in Bulgaria come from?
Most immigrants in Bulgaria come from Ukraine, Russia and Syria — these three countries account for about 44% of all immigrants.
How many Ukrainians live in Bulgaria?
Around 61.1K Ukrainians live in Bulgaria — about 20% of all immigrants, the largest group.
Is the immigrant population in Bulgaria growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of immigrants in Bulgaria has grown from 123.4K to 298.3K, about 142%.
Where does the data on immigrants in Bulgaria come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born abroad who now live in Bulgaria. Their children born in Bulgaria are not included.
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Living in Bulgaria
See the full country overview