In an interview with the news site FAKTI, Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of the State Agency for Refugees, presented a pilot project for alternative social services aimed at unaccompanied refugee children.
Discussing the situation of unaccompanied minors in Bulgaria, he stated that in 2014, there were 940 such children. Since 2021, this number has risen significantly, reaching 3,827 by the end of 2023. In 2020, more than 70% of all children who applied for protection were unaccompanied and separated from their families. As of 2025, Bulgaria ranks fourth among EU countries in the number of unaccompanied minors.