According to a ranking by company "William Russell", which insures the so-called "expats"- people who, for various reasons, do not live in their home country—Bulgaria ranks No 1 in Europe as a desired destination for those looking to start a new life abroad. South Korea ranks first among the ten countries with the highest increase in emigrant population since 1990.

South Korea’s expat population soared from 43,000 in 1990 to more than 1.7 million in 2020. Bulgaria is fourth overall and top in Europe thanks to an increase in expat numbers from 21,000 in 1990 to 184,000 in 2020. Behind Bulgaria are Spain, Serbia, Malta, Iceland, Finland and Turkiye. ''William Russell'' clarifies that the ranking is not based on the absolute number of "expats", but rather tracks the highest growth over the last 30 years, the BNR's correspondent  in London Veselin Paunov reported.