Bulgaria: Primary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bulgaria's primary education, pupils rose 0.8% on 2023 (from 232,742 to 234,521).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2% and a typical year strayed about 2.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.9% in 1982 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.5% in 1990. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 4,172 a year. A straight line explains 86% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bulgaria had the 73rd highest value of the 119 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bulgaria in the 2024 ranking

• Lesotho — 70th of 119: 309,480
• Serbia — 71st of 119: 251,941
• Slovak Republic — 72nd of 119: 244,806
• Jamaica — 74th of 119: 211,097
• Qatar — 75th of 119: 180,287
• Armenia — 76th of 119: 160,885

What this measures

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 54 values

Primary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 141,089 (2024)
• Andorra — 4,218 (2024)
• Armenia — 160,885 (2024)
• Austria — 368,502 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 603,966 (2024)
• Belarus — 444,044 (2024)
• Belgium — 814,388 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 141,518 (2023)
• Croatia — 147,483 (2023)
• Cyprus — 60,596 (2024)
• Czechia — 579,161 (2023)
• Denmark

More education data for Bulgaria

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 485,226 (2024)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort) — 99.81% (2023)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 52.32% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.98 (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Bulgaria's primary education, pupils?

234,521 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 56.77% from 542,445 in 1971 (1.57% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 579,356 in 1985 and the lowest 232,742 in 2023.

How does Bulgaria rank?

73rd highest of 119 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary education, pupils unusual for Bulgaria?

In 2024, Bulgaria's primary education, pupils rose 0.8% on 2023 (from 232,742 to 234,521). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2% and a typical year strayed about 2.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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