Bulgarian border police successfully prevented approximately 180,000 attempts by migrants to enter the country illegally in 2023, according to recent data released by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.

The Turkish border emerged as the most active route for illegal attempts, experiencing a 10% increase compared to 2022. Border guards intercepted 1,729 illegal migrants, predominantly from Syria (920), Morocco (270), Afghanistan (249), and Iraq (105).

The majority of the prevented entries (178,200) occurred at the Turkish-Bulgarian border, with migrants voluntarily turning back upon detecting the presence of Bulgarian patrols and border posts. Some individuals may have made multiple attempts to cross into Bulgaria.

Contrastingly, the number of third-country nationals attempting illegal entry from Greece into Bulgaria significantly decreased by 86% compared to 2022. Bulgarian border guards detained 39 illegal migrants, while approximately 500 individuals returned to Greece voluntarily after encountering Bulgarian patrols.

Within Bulgaria, 2,528 third-country nationals were apprehended attempting to exit illegally, with Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, and Iraq being the primary countries of origin. The Bulgarian-Serbian border accounted for the highest number of attempts, with 88% of individuals apprehended there.

At the Bulgarian-Romanian border, 256 third-country nationals were detained in 2023, mainly comprised of 172 Syrians and 28 Iraqis.