![](https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F01b11084-ef2b-482d-8bb5-2f76c0e37390.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)
The country that emigration left behind
The elementary school in Yahinovo, a mountain village south of Bulgaria’s capital, was designed for about 300 pupils when it was built in 1967. These days, the headteacher puts capacity at 150; the actual number of students is barely 70. In a well-kept …