School-age population (primary level) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: School-age population (primary level) was 246,148 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
246,148
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
50th
of 72 countries
All-time high
375,223
in 2000
All-time low
243,562
in 2022
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 246,148, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Bulgaria peaked at 375,223 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 243,562, in 2022.
That places Bulgaria 50th out of 72 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School-age population (primary level) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 375,223 | — |
| 2001 | 355,386 | -5.3% |
| 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 below the median for high income countries, which is 380,422, 65% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 246,148 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,925, 57% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 290,130 | 250,907 | 375,223 | 10 |
| 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
- 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 246,148 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 375,223 in 2000.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 243,562 in 2022.
- How does Bulgaria rank for school-age population?
- Bulgaria ranks 50th out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school-age population 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 UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (primary 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).