Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.4% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Latest (2022)
4.4%
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
74th
of 185 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 1991
All-time low
2.2%
in 1996
Years of data
31
1980–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bulgaria, 1980–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 4.4% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bulgaria peaked at 5.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1996.
Bulgaria ranks 74th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.5% | — |
| 1990 | 4.5% | +26.2% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | +21.9% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | -5.9% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | -15.8% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -43.1% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +22.8% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +23.5% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +14.3% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -10.9% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 4.0% | +17.3% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.1% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 4.7% | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 4.0% | 2.2% | 5.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More education data for Bulgaria
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 43,834 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,173 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 111,576 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 105,281 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 485,226 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 234,521 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7644 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0364 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bulgaria?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bulgaria was 4.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1996.
- How does Bulgaria rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 74th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release