Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 105,596 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
105,596
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
51st
of 179 countries
All-time high
176,297
in 2022
All-time low
218
in 1992
Years of data
34
1992–2025

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria, 1992–2025

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1992200820251992: 2181993: 4431994: 1.1k1995: 1.3k1996: 1.4k1997: 3821998: 2411999: 5422000: 1.5k2001: 3.0k2002: 3.6k2003: 4.0k2004: 4.7k2005: 4.4k2006: 4.5k2007: 4.8k2008: 5.1k2009: 5.4k2010: 5.5k2011: 5.7k2012: 2.3k2013: 4.3k2014: 11.0k2015: 16.5k2016: 17.8k2017: 19.2k2018: 19.9k2019: 20.4k2020: 21.1k2021: 22.8k2022: 176.3k2023: 97.6k2024: 108.7k2025: 105.6k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2025, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Bulgaria stood at 105,596.

That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and up 538.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Bulgaria peaked at 176,297 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 218, in 1992.

Bulgaria ranks 51st of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled in Bulgaria, 1992 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1992 218
1993 443 +103.2%
1994 1,054 +137.9%
1995 1,318 +25.0%
1996 1,431 +8.6%
1997 382 -73.3%
1998 241 -36.9%
1999 542 +124.9%
2000 1,470 +171.2%
2001 2,984 +103.0%
2002 3,642 +22.1%
2003 4,047 +11.1%
2004 4,676 +15.5%
2005 4,388 -6.2%
2006 4,479 +2.1%
2007 4,808 +7.3%
2008 5,108 +6.2%
2009 5,375 +5.2%
2010 5,519 +2.7%
2011 5,676 +2.8%
2012 2,273 -60.0%
2013 4,305 +89.4%
2014 11,026 +156.1%
2015 16,543 +50.0%
2016 17,794 +7.6%
2017 19,166 +7.7%
2018 19,906 +3.9%
2019 20,438 +2.7%
2020 21,113 +3.3%
2021 22,830 +8.1%
2022 176,297 +672.2%
2023 97,618 -44.6%
2024 108,747 +11.4%
2025 105,596 -2.9%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 105,596 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12,513, 8.4× the median. (65 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 105,596 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62,365, 1.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +672.2% 22,830 176,297
2000 +171.2% 542 1,470
2014 +156.1% 4,305 11,026
1994 +137.9% 443 1,054
1999 +124.9% 241 542
1993 +103.2% 218 443

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 703.62 218 1,431 8
2000s 4,098 1,470 5,375 10
2010s 12,265 2,273 20,438 10
2020s 88,700 21,113 176,297 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 48 Armenia 123,087 compare
  2. 49 Rwanda 115,794 compare
  3. 50 Burundi 110,800 compare
  4. 52 Finland 102,544 compare
  5. 53 Denmark 95,007 compare
  6. 54 Thailand 84,017 compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More social development data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Bulgaria?
Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Bulgaria was 105,596 in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 176,297 in 2022.
What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 218 in 1992.
How does Bulgaria rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
Bulgaria ranks 51st out of 179 countries with data for 2025.
Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 538.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/refugees-under-the-mandate-of-the-unhcr-by-country-or-territory-of-asylum-gaps-filled/bulgaria/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/refugees-under-the-mandate-of-the-unhcr-by-country-or-territory-of-asylum-gaps-filled/bulgaria/">Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Bulgaria</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
226 places, 10,579 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.