200 000 Locals 'Do Not Want to Live in Bulgaria' - Poll

As birth rate goes down and with several emigration waves since the 90s, the Bulgarian population is growing increasingly older. File photo

At the time of Bulgaria's joining of the European Union, most potential emigrants listed as the main motives for relocation abroad professional and family reasons, but now half respond they simply "do not wish to live in Bulgaria."

The poll was conducted by the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), presented Tuesday by its Deputy Director, Veselin Minchev.

The previous study was conducted in April 2007, when most respondents said they were moving in search of better salaries and higher living standards, or as Minchev says – short-term economic reasons.

In 2011, the number of people citing the above said reasons is down, which the BAS researcher explains with most Bulgarians losing their illusions.

Half of the respondents, or 200 000 people, have pointed out they simply do not wish to live in Bulgaria any longer while the number of people planning to emigrate to another European country is up 3 times compared to 2007.

"Bulgaria is not competitive; it cannot attract people,"  Minchev says.

In 2007, the top destinations have been Spain and Greece; they have now been replaced by the UK and Germany, pushing them to the third and fourth position respectively, while the US keeps the fifth spot.

On the other hand side, the poll shows that about 450 000 people have returned to Bulgaria as a result of the global crisis. The majority of them, however, plan to leave again once the economic situation improves.

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