site.btaBulgaria Plays Key Role in Receiving Refugees from Ukraine, Says UN Report

Since the full-scale escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Bulgaria has played a crucial role as an external EU border, receiving significant numbers of displaced persons, states a United Nations (UN) report published on Monday.

Over 2.3 million refugees from Ukraine were admitted to Bulgaria. By the end of February 2025, the Bulgarian Government had granted temporary protection to more than 204,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine, the majority of whom are women and children. 

Despite many refugees moving onward, Bulgaria hosted approximately 75,250 Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection as of February 2025. This figure represents a slight rise from 67,000 in 2022 and 72,000 in February 2024.

An increasing number of individuals opted to stay in the country in various forms of residence, with over 2,579 temporary protection holders from Ukraine acquiring Bulgarian nationality in 2024. Others, meanwhile, gradually transitioned to other forms of legal stay, moved to another EU country, or returned to safer areas of Ukraine. 

Beyond the Ukrainian crisis, Bulgaria continues to be a key entry point for asylum seekers from other conflict-affected regions. In 2024, Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees registered 12,250 asylum seekers, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan. These numbers represent a notable decrease compared to the approximately 22,500 registrations in the previous year.

Syria has been a significant country of origin for asylum seekers in Bulgaria since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011: 55,385 Syrians have sought protection in Bulgaria over the past decade, with 34,260 of them being granted international protection.

While current figures for the total number of Syrian refugees who remain in Bulgaria are fluid, primarily due to a lack of integration prospects and persistent barriers to socio-economic inclusion and livelihood opportunities, the continued presence of Syrian and Afghan nationals highlights the country's ongoing role in broader refugee protection efforts within Europe, the UN report reads.