Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Theoretical duration of upper secondary education was 5 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 215 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1999
All-time low
3 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 5 years for theoretical duration of upper secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria peaked at 5 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1970.
Bulgaria ranks 1st of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +66.7% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2 years | 3 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 1 Brunei Darussalam 5 years compare
- 1 Cook Islands 3 years compare
- 1 Italy 5 years compare
- 1 Niue 3 years compare
- 1 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 3 years compare
- 1 San Marino 5 years compare
- 1 Samoa 5 years compare
- 4 Anguilla 2 years compare
- 4 Montserrat 2 years compare
- 4 Tokelau 2 years compare
More education data for Bulgaria
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 22,710 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 14.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria?
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Bulgaria was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- How does Bulgaria rank for theoretical duration of upper secondary education?
- Bulgaria ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of upper secondary education rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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, published as part of Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release