School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 3.81 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bulgaria, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bulgaria stood at 3.81 years. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bulgaria peaked at 4.44 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3.81 years, in 2024.
That places Bulgaria 210th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4.19 years | — |
| 2002 | 4.36 years | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 4.44 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 4.44 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 4.39 years | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 4.3 years | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 4.22 years | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 4.15 years | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 4.08 years | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 4.06 years | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.04 years | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 4.01 years | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 3.94 years | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 3.96 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 3.96 years | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 3.92 years | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 3.9 years | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 3.87 years | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 3.86 years | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.87 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 3.82 years | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 3.83 years | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 3.81 years | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 3.81 years | -0.1% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 3.81 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 65% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 3.81 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.14 years, 74% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.29 years | 4.08 years | 4.44 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.95 years | 3.86 years | 4.06 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.83 years | 3.81 years | 3.87 years | 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bulgaria?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bulgaria was 3.81 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.44 years in 2004.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.81 years in 2024.
- How does Bulgaria rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Bulgaria ranks 210th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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