Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 95.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 95.3% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bulgaria peaked at 111.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 95.3%, in 2024.
Bulgaria ranks 163rd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 105.3% | — |
| 2002 | 109.6% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 111.7% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 111.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 110.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 108.8% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 106.1% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 104.2% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 102.1% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 101.4% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 101.1% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 100.4% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 99.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 97.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 96.8% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 96.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 96.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 95.6% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 95.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 95.4% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 95.3% | -0.2% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 95.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 95% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 95.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 101.2%, 94% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 107.8% | 102.1% | 111.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 96.4% | 101.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.7% | 95.3% | 96.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 160 Turkmenistan 95.7% compare
- 161 Falkland Islands 95.7%
- 162 Saint Helena 95.7%
- 164 Kiribati 95.3% compare
- 165 Canada 95.0% compare
- 166 Brunei 94.8% 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bulgaria?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bulgaria was 95.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 111.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 95.3% in 2024.
- How does Bulgaria rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Bulgaria ranks 163rd out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.