School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 246,148 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
246,148
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
138th
of 222 countries
All-time high
355,386
in 2001
All-time low
243,562
in 2022
Years of data
24
2001–2024
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 246,148 for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2024.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Bulgaria peaked at 355,386 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 243,562, in 2022.
Bulgaria ranks 138th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 355,386 | — |
| 2002 | 318,856 | -10.3% |
| 2003 | 298,149 | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 281,179 | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 261,464 | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 250,907 | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 252,188 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 252,215 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 255,734 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 256,744 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 252,260 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 251,459 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 256,779 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 260,797 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 264,098 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 267,105 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 271,023 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 271,442 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 266,339 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 257,245 | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 248,650 | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 243,562 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 243,905 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 246,148 | +0.9% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 246,148 is above the median for high income countries, which is 215,283, 1.1× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 246,148 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,642, 57% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 280,675 | 250,907 | 355,386 | 9 |
| 2010s | 261,805 | 251,459 | 271,442 | 10 |
| 2020s | 247,902 | 243,562 | 257,245 | 5 |
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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Bulgaria?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bulgaria was 246,148 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 355,386 in 2001.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 243,562 in 2022.
- How does Bulgaria rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Bulgaria ranks 138th out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. 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 School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release