Bulgarians in the United Kingdom

The number of Bulgarian-born people resident in the UK has risen from 5,351 at the time of the 2001 Census to an estimated 103,000 in 2018.

From 1 January 2014 until Brexit, Bulgarians had freedom of movement and work in the United Kingdom as citizens of the European Union.

Few Bulgarian students enrolled at British universities before World War II; political and economic emigration was also scarce.

Other estimates from the early 21st century claim over 30,000 Bulgarians live permanently or temporarily (as students and workers) in the capital London alone.

[2] When Bulgaria joined the European Union in January 2007, the British government placed transitional restrictions on the rights of Bulgarians to move to the UK, which were subsequently extended and these transitional restrictions expired on 1 January 2014.