Bulgaria: Pupil-teacher ratio, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Bulgaria's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.4 on 2016 (from 17.61 to 15.21).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2016), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.59 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.24 in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.4 in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Bulgaria had the 23rd highest value of the 50 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 2017 ranking

• Türkiye — 20th of 50: 16.98
• Korea, Rep. — 21st of 50: 16.29
• Slovak Republic — 22nd of 50: 15.54
• United Kingdom — 24th of 50: 15.13
• New Zealand — 25th of 50: 14.92
• North Macedonia — 26th of 50: 14.91

What this measures

Primary school pupil-teacher ratio is the average number of pupils per teacher in primary school.

Limitations: The comparability of pupil-teacher ratios across countries is affected by the definition of teachers and by differences in class size by grade and in the number of hours taught, as well as the different practices countries employ such as part-time teachers, school shifts, and multi-grade classes. Moreover, the underlying enrollment levels are subject to a variety of reporting errors.

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

All 21 values

Pupil-teacher ratio, primary in nearby economies

• Albania — 17.57 (2018)
• Andorra — 10.5 (2018)
• Armenia — 15.42 (2018)
• Austria — 10.02 (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 15.43 (2018)
• Belarus — 19.23 (2018)
• Belgium — 11.28 (2017)
• Croatia — 13.51 (2016)
• Cyprus — 12.04 (2017)
• Estonia — 11.31 (2017)
• Finland — 13.67 (2017)
• Georgia

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)
• Primary education, pupils — 234,521 (2024)
• 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)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bulgaria's pupil-teacher ratio, primary?

15.21 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is down 10.62% from 17.01 in 1996 (0.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 17.91 in 1999 and the lowest 15.21 in 2017.

How does Bulgaria rank?

23rd highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in pupil-teacher ratio, primary unusual for Bulgaria?

In 2017, Bulgaria's pupil-teacher ratio, primary fell 2.4 on 2016 (from 17.61 to 15.21). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2016), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.59 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRL.TC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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