In October, Bulgaria's Interior Ministry revealed a significant decline in illegal migrant detentions by 41% compared to September 2023. A total of 1,359 individuals from third countries were apprehended, with 122 caught entering, 134 leaving, and 1,103 found within the country.

Throughout January to October, 17,056 third-country nationals faced detainment. Of these, 1,364 were incoming, 1,751 outgoing, and 13,941 were residing illegally within Bulgaria. This marks an 18.2% increase from the 2022 count of 14,427 illegal migrants.

Notably, the largest groups of illegal migrants were Syrians (50.9%), Moroccans (15.9%), and Afghans (15.2%). Moreover, the number of illegal migrants found residing in Bulgaria between January and October 2023 surged by 35.1% compared to the same period in 2022, primarily Syrians (49.9%), Afghans (33.9%), and Moroccans (10.5%).

Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov disclosed that Bulgarian border authorities thwarted approximately 165,000 illegal entry attempts at the Bulgarian-Turkish border since the year began.