I Understand Why Young Bulgarians Leave Their Country

Sweden is far from always living up to these ideals. There is also abuse of power, favouritism, bureaucracy, weak leadership, and people who advance because they know the right individuals. But there is still a strong underlying belief that the systems are supposed to work and that it should be possible to demand accountability when they do not.

In Bulgaria, I more often encounter the opposite lesson: the system may work, but you should never be completely certain that it will. As a result, personal contacts, family, and networks become more important than formal structures.

It is a rational way to survive. But it is also a serious problem for a modern society.

The Same Europe – Completely Different Opportunities

A young Bulgarian culturally lives in the same world as a young Swede, German, or Dutch person. They use the same social media platforms, watch the same films, listen to the same music, work with the same digital tools, and follow the same international developments.

They can see how people in other countries live. They see the career opportunities, salaries, workplaces, universities, companies, and the freedom to move between professions and cities.

But the economic conditions are very different.

In 2025, the average hourly labour cost in Bulgaria was estimated at €12, the lowest level in the European Union. The EU average was €34.90. Labour cost is not the same as salary received by the employee, but the difference nevertheless illustrates the distance between the Bulgarian and Western European labour markets.

At the same time, Bulgaria is not isolated from European prices. Mobile phones, computers, cars, technology, flights, and many imported products cost roughly the same as elsewhere in Europe. In Sofia and other attractive areas, housing, restaurants, and services have also become considerably more expensive.

This creates a strange situation. A Westerner with a foreign income may still experience Bulgaria as inexpensive, while a Bulgarian earning a local salary may experience exactly the same country as expensive.

A restaurant meal may feel affordable to me. For the young waiter serving it, the same bill may represent a significant part of a day’s income.

That perspective matters.

It Is Not Only a Higher Salary They Are Looking For

It is easy to say that young Bulgarians leave because of money. Of course salary matters. It determines whether someone can move out of their parents’ home, start a family, buy a property, travel, continue their education, or cope with an unexpected expense.

But money is only part of the explanation.

People also leave in search of a clearer relationship between effort and reward. They want to know that education, responsibility, initiative, and ability will actually lead somewhere.

World Bank research on Bulgarian migration identifies major wage differences as one of the central drivers. The study also shows that emigrants are often young, which means that emigration reduces the working-age population, particularly in rural areas. At the same time, there is a significant level of return migration, especially among people who have worked in other EU countries.

This means the situation does not have to be permanent. Many young Bulgarians do not hate their country. On the contrary, they often miss their families, the food, the language, the climate, and the social closeness.

But they need a reason to return.

Patriotism is not enough if working life is characterised by low salaries, limited development opportunities, and unclear rules.

When Connections Matter More Than Competence

One of the greatest differences I experience between Swedish and Bulgarian everyday life is the importance of personal contacts.

In Bulgaria, you often hear questions such as:

Who do you know?
Who can make a phone call?
Who can open the door?
Who can make the process move faster?

This does not always have to mean corruption. Often, it is simply about people trying to navigate a system that is seen as slow, complicated, or unpredictable.

The problem begins when connections become more important than competence.

For a young person, the message then becomes brutal: it may not be enough to be knowledgeable, ambitious, and willing to work. You may also need to belong to the right family, the right social circle, or the right political and economic network.

This creates frustration. It teaches people that adaptation may be more important than innovation and that loyalty to those above you may sometimes be rewarded more than real results.

The European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report stated that Bulgaria still lacked sufficient concrete results regarding investigations, prosecutions, and final convictions in high-level corruption cases. The Commission also called for continued reforms to strengthen the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary.

This is not abstract legal language. It affects how people think.

When citizens do not see accountability, they begin to assume that those in power protect one another. Once that belief has taken root, it becomes extremely difficult to change.

The Old Hierarchy Meets the New Generation

Many young Bulgarians I meet are international, multilingual, digitally skilled, and creative. They often have a greater understanding of global developments than the older decision-makers around them.

But parts of working life still appear to be based on an older, strongly hierarchical model.

The boss decides. The younger employee listens. Information moves from the top down. Questioning a decision may be interpreted as a lack of respect. Taking initiative may be seen as a threat by the person already holding the position.

There are, of course, modern and well-functioning Bulgarian companies. Sofia has a significant international technology and service sector, and many businesses operate according to global standards. But the generational conflict is still visible in many places.

The young employee may want to discuss, test, change, and take responsibility. The older structure may prefer control, obedience, and predictability.

When a person is repeatedly told to wait, remain silent, or know their place, they will eventually look for an environment where their energy is appreciated.

It is not necessarily the country they are running away from. They are escaping the feeling that their potential is regarded as a problem.

Sofia Is Not the Whole of Bulgaria

It is easy to arrive in Sofia and believe that the entire country is moving in the same direction.

The capital has international companies, modern offices, restaurants, universities, cultural life, nightlife, and people from across the world. New buildings are being constructed, investments are being made, and new businesses are being launched.

But once you leave the capital, the picture changes quickly.

At the end of 2025, Bulgaria had just over 6.42 million inhabitants. The population decreased by 14,153 people during the year, while almost a quarter of the population was aged 65 or older. The country had 192 completely uninhabited settlements, and 1,280 localities had fewer than 50 residents.

Behind these figures are empty houses, closed schools, disappeared local businesses, and elderly people whose children and grandchildren work abroad.

The population decline is not caused solely by emigration. In 2025, approximately 50,000 children were born, while almost 100,000 people died. The natural population decrease was therefore more than 49,000 people and was significantly more severe in rural areas than in cities.

When a small town loses its young people, it does not only lose residents. It loses future entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare workers, artists, parents, and local leaders.

What remains is a social structure that becomes increasingly difficult to finance and maintain.

The Lack of Trust May Be the Greatest Problem

Salaries can be raised. Roads can be built, hospitals renovated, and public authorities digitalised.

It is much more difficult to repair lost trust.

When people repeatedly experience politicians making promises without delivering, those responsible escaping consequences, and public institutions being used for private or political purposes, belief in the common project disappears.

People stop asking: How can we change the country?

Instead, they ask: How can I and my family survive?

This is where emigration becomes a logical individual solution to a collective problem.

A young Bulgarian may not believe that their vote will change the institutions. But they know that a plane ticket to Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, or Copenhagen may change their own life.

My Western Eyes Can Also Mislead Me

At the same time, I must be self-critical.

It would be arrogant to come from Sweden and ask why Bulgaria does not function like Sweden. The two countries have completely different historical experiences.

Sweden’s institutions, tax system, public administration, and social security have developed over a very long period. Bulgaria has, within only a few decades, moved from communist dictatorship to a market economy, democracy, and membership in NATO and the European Union.

That transition has been rapid, turbulent, and painful. Old power structures do not automatically disappear because new laws are introduced. Distrust built over generations cannot be removed by a digital form or a new name for a government agency.

When the state has historically not been considered reliable, the family becomes the real source of security. When regulations have changed quickly, personal networks become the stable point.

What may appear from my Swedish perspective to be unhealthy informality may therefore also be a survival strategy.

But there is an important difference between understanding something and accepting it.

History explains why the systems look the way they do. It cannot forever be used as an excuse for failing to change them.

Bulgaria Has Something Western Europe Is Losing

Despite the problems, I also see qualities in Bulgaria that many Western countries are gradually losing.

There is often greater social spontaneity. Families remain close. People help one another in practical ways. There is a stronger connection between generations and an ability to solve problems without first creating a large organisation.

I see entrepreneurship, resilience, and creativity. I see people who can achieve a great deal with very limited resources.

There is also a different rhythm and a sense of human warmth. Not everything is regulated, standardised, and controlled. For a Swede, this can sometimes be frustrating, but it can also be liberating.

Bulgaria therefore does not need to become a copy of Sweden or Germany.

The country does not need to import the entire Western social model. It needs to build on its own strengths while creating clearer rules, stronger institutions, and greater respect for competence.

Young People Must Be Given a Reason to Stay

I understand why young Bulgarians leave.

They are looking for higher salaries, but also for dignity. They are looking for a society where effort matters, where their ideas are heard, and where the future can be planned.

Bulgaria’s greatest problem is not that the country lacks talent.

The problem is that too many talented people feel they must leave Bulgaria in order to have the opportunity to use it.

Young people cannot be expected to stay simply because they love their country. Love of one’s homeland does not pay the rent, create fair processes, or build a professional career.

But I do not believe the development is inevitable.

Many of those who leave could return. They bring with them experience, networks, languages, capital, and new ways of working. But they must feel that their knowledge is wanted, not that it threatens those who already hold power.

Bulgaria does not need to ask its young people to sacrifice their lives for the future of the nation.

Bulgaria needs to build a society in which staying becomes the rational choice.

When a young person no longer needs to know the right person in order to receive the right opportunity, real change can begin.