Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 8.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria is 8.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.5% on the previous year and up 68.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria peaked at 11.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2017.
Bulgaria ranks 92nd of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11.0% | — |
| 2002 | 9.1% | -17.3% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -25.0% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 7.3% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 7.5% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | +12.5% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -18.1% |
| 2014 | 4.8% | -25.6% |
| 2015 | 4.0% | -16.4% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -8.8% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | +21.9% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | +29.0% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | +28.6% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 8.1% | +9.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 8.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.6%, 2.3× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 8.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.7%, 2.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.2% | 11.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 3.6% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 3.8% | 8.1% | 5 |
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 out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria was 8.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 11.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Bulgaria ranks 92nd out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release