Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 87.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria is 87.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria peaked at 87.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 66.8%, in 2001.
That places Bulgaria 43rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 66.8% | — |
| 2002 | 73.8% | +10.5% |
| 2003 | 74.5% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 74.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 75.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 76.5% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 78.1% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 78.7% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 79.5% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 80.4% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 81.3% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 81.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 79.9% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 81.9% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 83.3% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 83.2% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 83.4% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 84.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 85.9% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 86.8% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 85.4% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 86.4% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 87.3% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 87.9% | +0.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 87.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 1.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 87.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.9%, 1.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 75.3% | 66.8% | 79.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 82.5% | 79.9% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.8% | 85.4% | 87.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 40 Turks and Caicos Islands 89.3% compare
- 41 Macao 88.3% compare
- 42 Anguilla 88.2% compare
- 44 Nauru 87.1% compare
- 45 Cayman Islands 87.0% compare
- 46 Cook Islands 86.1% 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 children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Bulgaria was 87.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.8% in 2001.
- How does Bulgaria rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Bulgaria ranks 43rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.