Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 11.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria stood at 11.8%.
The figure is up 9.5% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria peaked at 23.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2017.
Bulgaria ranks 116th of 184 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 23.7% | — |
| 2002 | 20.4% | -13.6% |
| 2003 | 15.3% | -25.2% |
| 2004 | 13.8% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 13.8% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 14.2% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 13.7% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | -10.1% |
| 2012 | 13.1% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 13.2% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 10.0% | -24.4% |
| 2015 | 8.7% | -12.9% |
| 2016 | 7.9% | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | -23.6% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | +36.1% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | -9.8% |
| 2020 | 6.3% | -15.1% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | +21.4% |
| 2022 | 9.5% | +23.4% |
| 2023 | 10.8% | +13.5% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | +9.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 11.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.8%, 1.5× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 11.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.5%, 1.6× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.8% | 13.4% | 23.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.1% | 6.1% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 6.3% | 11.8% | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bulgaria was 11.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Bulgaria ranks 116th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. 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 youth of upper secondary 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