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.
Around 98,000 Macedonian citizens have acquired Bulgarian citizenship since 2001, with roughly half still waiting for this status, primarily based on their declared Bulgarian roots. During Yugoslavia's dissolution, North Macedonia experienced migration from Bulgarians residing in the Western Outlands of Serbia.