Statistics from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) show that in 2023, more than 17,000 Bulgarians returned to their homeland. Moreover, between 2014 and 2023, more than 160,000 Bulgarians living abroad returned home, while nearly 220,000 chose to emigrate during the same period. And yet, people leave and come back again.
Source: NSI - www.nsi.bg
| Year | Immigrants | Emigrants | Migration Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9,502 | 23,849 | -14,347 |
| 2015 | 10,722 | 24,487 | -13,765 |
| 2016 | 9,254 | 25,795 | -16,541 |
| 2017 | 13,060 | 26,992 | -13,932 |
| 2018 | 16,169 | 31,263 | -15,094 |
| 2019 | 23,555 | 37,931 | -14,376 |
| 2020 | 24,007 | 3,658 | 20,349 |
| 2021 | 22,087 | 24,442 | -2,355 |
| 2022 | 19,032 | 11,972 | 7,060 |
| 2023 | 17,017 | 11,913 | 5,104 |
| Total | 164,405 | 222,302 | -57,897 |
The concepts of "poor" and "rich" are highly relative. For some, poverty means living on the street, while for others, it is the lack of access to social services, quality education, or home ownership. On the other hand, for some people, having a hundred thousand leva might be considered wealth, while for others, it is just a standard amount. Here, the place where we live plays a significant role, as living standards vary greatly between different countries.
Looking at the situation in Bulgaria, I find myself positioned between the two extremes. On one hand, compared to many Western countries, education and healthcare are much more accessible, and the country is socially oriented. Unfortunately, the quality of all these services often remains unsatisfactory. This situation is often rooted in a lack of adequate funding, efficiency, and reforms in the system.
In other countries with higher standards, such as Germany, the USA, Norway, and Switzerland, life seems much more organized and simplified, and we often emigrate there. But is this the simple reality, or does achieving a better and wealthier life actually require much more effort than in our homeland?
And what are these efforts? Learning at least one or two more languages, often obtaining additional or entirely new education. The lack of familiar faces is also an important factor to mention. It feels as if life starts completely anew – you learn how to live in the new place. I have noticed in myself that when I am happy, I am content with where I live, but when I am sad or experience failure, I always return in my thoughts to where I started – Bulgaria. This somehow gives me strength.
They say education is better, healthcare too, not to mention the social system. But is it really as good as the statistics claim? And if so, why do so many doctors and teachers from Bulgaria work in these high-standard countries? I know why they work there, but I don't understand why, if their education is so much better, they don't have enough specialists themselves. Can statistics be trusted?
Is everything we have invested in another place worth it if the probability of returning to our homeland with the same bag we left with is very high? This question often arises in the minds of every emigrant.
On one hand, life abroad offers more opportunities, better pay, and greater social security. But on the other hand, the cost of this "wealthier" life often comes at an emotional price – separation from loved ones, loss of cultural identity, and a constant sense of struggle. In the end, what is the real value of all these efforts if, at the end of our lives, we return home carrying not just material wealth but also the weight of the journey we have traveled?
Thousands of questions arise in the minds of those nearing their 40s. What do you think? This is a question for all of you who have left and are reflecting on everything written above, and for those who are still undecided about leaving – do you regret it?
Antonina Kreps