Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural was 12.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria, 2006–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria stood at 12.5%.
That represents a change of down 9.1% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria peaked at 21.0% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2011.
That places Bulgaria 46th out of 68 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 19.0% | — |
| 2007 | 16.8% | -11.7% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 14.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 14.5% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 11.3% | -22.1% |
| 2012 | 17.5% | +55.4% |
| 2013 | 13.9% | -20.3% |
| 2014 | 21.0% | +50.5% |
| 2015 | 17.6% | -16.0% |
| 2016 | 19.4% | +10.1% |
| 2017 | 18.8% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | -24.5% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | -12.6% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +11.0% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | -9.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 12.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.2%, 1.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 12.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.2%, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.4% | 14.9% | 19.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 11.3% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.5% | 13.7% | 2 |
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, rural in Bulgaria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in Bulgaria was 12.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2014.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2011.
- How does Bulgaria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural?
- Bulgaria ranks 46th out of 68 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. 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, rural, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release