Bulgaria vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education

Bulgaria
8.6%
in 2023
South Africa
9.2%
in 2024
Bulgaria rank
57th
South Africa rank
56th

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time

  • Bulgaria
  • South Africa
246810197019972024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 9.2% against 8.6% in Bulgaria, a difference of 0.6%.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Bulgaria's.

Across all 5 years both countries report, Bulgaria has been ahead every year.

Bulgaria ranks 57th and South Africa ranks 56th of 95 countries.

Bulgaria has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bulgaria South Africa Difference Ahead
2010s 8.5% 5.4% 3.1% Bulgaria
2020s 8.7% 6.5% 2.2% Bulgaria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Bulgaria or South Africa?
South Africa, at 9.2% against 8.6% in Bulgaria as of 2024.
What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Bulgaria and South Africa?
0.6%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and South Africa?
5 years are reported by both, from 2018 to 2023.
How do Bulgaria and South Africa rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
Bulgaria ranks 57th and South Africa ranks 56th of 95 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Bulgaria vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-7/bulgaria/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-7/bulgaria/south-africa/">Bulgaria vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
95 places, 1,561 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release