Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 1.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.8%
Change on year
down 24.0%
World rank
69th
of 104 countries
All-time high
3.1%
in 2017
All-time low
1.4%
in 2004
Years of data
23
2001–2023
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria stood at 1.8%.
That represents a change of down 24.0% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria peaked at 3.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2004.
That places Bulgaria 69th out of 104 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.8% | — |
| 2002 | 1.8% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -13.6% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | +20.2% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +18.5% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -18.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +26.3% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | +27.3% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +14.3% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -42.5% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | +29.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -24.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 1.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 21% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 1.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.2%, 29% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 66 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.1% compare
- 67 Montenegro 2.0% compare
- 68 South Africa 1.9% compare
- 70 Rwanda 1.7% compare
- 71 Sri Lanka 1.7% compare
- 72 Palestine, State of 1.7% 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Bulgaria was 1.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2004.
- How does Bulgaria rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Bulgaria ranks 69th out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 years old, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release