Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 6.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria stood at 6.3%. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.0% on the previous year and up 138.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria peaked at 6.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2007.
Bulgaria ranks 75th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2.7% | — |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -42.9% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -16.6% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +101.8% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -17.3% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | +29.2% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +44.4% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -25.7% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -21.4% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | +10.4% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +17.3% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +12.9% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | +24.5% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | +19.8% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +9.9% |
| 2024 | 6.3% | +8.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 6.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 2.8× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 6.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.6%, 4.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.3% | 2.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.4% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 3.6% | 6.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 72 Kazakhstan 6.4% compare
- 73 Serbia 6.4% compare
- 74 Marshall Islands 6.3% compare
- 76 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6.1% compare
- 77 Dominican Republic 5.9% compare
- 78 Mongolia 5.8% 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bulgaria was 6.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2007.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Bulgaria ranks 75th out of 169 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 138.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release