Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 4 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
171st
of 205 countries
All-time high
7
in 1998
All-time low
4
in 2021
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Bulgaria, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Bulgaria is 4, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Bulgaria peaked at 7 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4, in 2021.
Bulgaria ranks 171st of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 | — |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 4 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 67% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 4 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 67% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.17 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 171 Argentina 4 compare
- 171 Aruba 4 compare
- 171 Bolivia 4 compare
- 171 Brazil 4 compare
- 171 Cayman Islands 4 compare
- 171 Costa Rica 4 compare
- 171 Curacao 4 compare
- 171 Ghana 4 compare
- 171 Gibraltar 4 compare
- 171 Hungary 4 compare
- 171 Luxembourg 4 compare
- 171 Maldives 4 compare
- 171 Mexico 4 compare
- 171 Nauru 4 compare
- 171 Nepal 4 compare
- 171 Panama 4 compare
- 171 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 4 compare
- 171 Switzerland 4 compare
- 171 Tonga 4 compare
- 171 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 compare
- 171 Uruguay 4 compare
More education data for Bulgaria
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.2 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 94.1 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Bulgaria?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Bulgaria was 4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 2021.
- How does Bulgaria rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Bulgaria ranks 171st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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