Around 98,000 nationals of North Macedonia have received Bulgarian citizenship since 2001 and some 53,000 are still waiting for such, almost all based on declared Bulgarian origin. In the period when North Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia, there was also migration of Bulgarians from the so called Western Outlands in Serbia.
This phenomenon has led to approximately 98,000 Macedonian citizens acquiring Bulgarian citizenship since 2001, with around 53,000 still awaiting this status, primarily due to their claimed Bulgarian ancestry. Historically, North Macedonia's connection to Yugoslavia also involved migration from Bulgarians in the Western Outlands of Serbia.