School-age population (lower secondary level) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: School-age population (lower secondary level) was 188,652 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
188,652
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
51st
of 72 countries
All-time high
317,302
in 2000
All-time low
178,587
in 2015
Years of data
25
2000–2024
School-age population in Bulgaria, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Bulgaria is 188,652, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Bulgaria peaked at 317,302 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 178,587, in 2015.
Bulgaria ranks 51st of 72 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School-age population (lower secondary level) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 317,302 | — |
| 2001 | 311,142 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 299,267 | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 282,520 | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 264,031 | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 246,648 | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 231,422 | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 215,038 | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 202,944 | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 188,876 | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 183,691 | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 184,488 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 192,174 | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 192,088 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 184,604 | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 178,587 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 178,870 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 182,480 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 184,420 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 187,024 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 189,222 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 196,795 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 199,915 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 195,699 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 188,652 | -3.6% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 188,652 is below the median for high income countries, which is 265,780, 71% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 188,652 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 275,891, 68% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 255,919 | 188,876 | 317,302 | 10 |
| 2010s | 184,843 | 178,587 | 192,174 | 10 |
| 2020s | 194,057 | 188,652 | 199,915 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More education data for Bulgaria
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.2 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 94.1 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Bulgaria?
- School-age population in Bulgaria was 188,652 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 317,302 in 2000.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 178,587 in 2015.
- How does Bulgaria rank for school-age population?
- Bulgaria ranks 51st out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (lower secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).