Share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
98.2%
World rank
37th
of 111 countries
All-time high
98.8%
in 2000
All-time low
26.5%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 98.2% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria peaked at 98.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.5%, in 1870.
Bulgaria ranks 37th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 26.5% | — |
| 1875 | 28.0% | +5.7% |
| 1880 | 29.5% | +5.4% |
| 1885 | 30.9% | +4.7% |
| 1890 | 32.4% | +4.9% |
| 1895 | 35.9% | +10.8% |
| 1900 | 42.0% | +17.0% |
| 1905 | 45.4% | +8.1% |
| 1910 | 51.9% | +14.3% |
| 1915 | 59.3% | +14.3% |
| 1920 | 66.4% | +12.0% |
| 1925 | 69.1% | +4.1% |
| 1930 | 72.0% | +4.2% |
| 1935 | 73.5% | +2.1% |
| 1940 | 77.3% | +5.2% |
| 1945 | 80.2% | +3.8% |
| 1950 | 85.7% | +6.9% |
| 1955 | 89.4% | +4.3% |
| 1960 | 91.7% | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 93.4% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 95.3% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 96.8% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 97.1% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 97.2% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 97.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 98.2% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 98.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 98.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 98.0% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 98.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 99% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 98.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 99% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 27.2% | 26.5% | 28.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 30.2% | 29.5% | 30.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 34.1% | 32.4% | 35.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 43.7% | 42.0% | 45.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 55.6% | 51.9% | 59.3% | 2 |
| 1920s | 67.8% | 66.4% | 69.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 72.8% | 72.0% | 73.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 78.8% | 77.3% | 80.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 87.6% | 85.7% | 89.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 92.6% | 91.7% | 93.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.0% | 95.3% | 96.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 97.2% | 97.1% | 97.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 97.8% | 97.5% | 98.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.6% | 98.4% | 98.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 34 Germany 98.4% compare
- 34 Peru 98.4% compare
- 36 New Zealand 98.3% compare
- 37 Costa Rica 98.2% compare
- 37 El Salvador 98.2% compare
- 37 Iceland 98.2% compare
- 37 Philippines 98.2% 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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Bulgaria was 98.2% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 98.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.5% in 1870.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Bulgaria ranks 37th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.