Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 5.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria stood at 5.9%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 81.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria peaked at 5.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2008.
That places Bulgaria 78th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.6% | — |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -76.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -70.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +38.8% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -56.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +1478.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -19.4% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +75.3% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +69.1% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +47.6% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -12.0% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -8.2% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | +12.5% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +14.1% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | +19.7% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 5.7% | +7.9% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | +3.3% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 5.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 3.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 5.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 4.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +1478.0% | 0.1% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 1.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 0.8% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.2% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 75 Georgia 6.2% compare
- 76 San Marino 6.1% compare
- 77 South Africa 6.1% compare
- 79 Bangladesh 5.9% compare
- 80 Oman 5.8% compare
- 81 Niue 5.7% 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 of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria was 5.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2008.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Bulgaria ranks 78th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 of primary school age, both sexes (%). 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