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 9.2% 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 9.2%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.7% on the previous year and up 38.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bulgaria peaked at 12.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2017.
That places Bulgaria 73rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 12.3% | — |
| 2002 | 10.4% | -15.5% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | -20.5% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 8.0% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 8.3% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 8.9% | +11.6% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 6.7% | -21.5% |
| 2015 | 6.0% | -10.3% |
| 2016 | 5.7% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | +16.6% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +20.9% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 8.5% | +10.7% |
| 2024 | 9.2% | +8.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 9.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.0%, 3.0× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 9.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.2%, 2.8× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.9% | 7.6% | 12.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | 5.3% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 5.5% | 9.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 70 Macau, China 9.8% compare
- 71 Palestine, State of 9.8% compare
- 72 Cuba 9.5% compare
- 74 Saint Lucia 9.2% compare
- 75 Marshall Islands 9.1% compare
- 76 Mauritius 9.0% compare
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 9.2% 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 12.3% 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 5.3% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Bulgaria ranks 73rd 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 38.4%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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