Literate and illiterate world population in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Literate and illiterate world population was 1.6% in 2011. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2011)
1.6%
World rank
103rd
of 128 countries
All-time high
70.4%
in 1900
All-time low
1.6%
in 2011
Years of data
9
1900–2011

Literate and illiterate world population in Bulgaria, 1900–2011

0204060801900195520111900: 70.4 %1905: 65.5 %1910: 57.8 %1920: 46.7 %1926: 39.7 %1934: 31.4 %1950: 22.5 %2001: 1.8 %2011: 1.6 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 1.6% for literate and illiterate world population in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of down 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Bulgaria peaked at 70.4% in 1900 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2011.

Bulgaria ranks 103rd of 128 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 68.0% 65.5% 70.4% 2
1910s 57.8% 57.8% 57.8% 1
1920s 43.2% 39.7% 46.7% 2
1930s 31.4% 31.4% 31.4% 1
1950s 22.5% 22.5% 22.5% 1
2000s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
2010s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 100 Palestine 2.1% compare
  2. 101 Samoa 2.0% compare
  3. 102 Maldives 1.8% compare
  4. 104 Philippines 1.5% compare
  5. 105 Finland 1.5% compare
  6. 105 Germany 1.5% compare
  7. 105 Ireland 1.5% compare
  8. 105 Netherlands 1.5% compare
  9. 105 Sweden 1.5% compare
  10. 105 United Kingdom 1.5% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Bulgaria?
Literate and illiterate world population in Bulgaria was 1.6% in 2011, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 70.4% in 1900.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2011.
How does Bulgaria rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Bulgaria ranks 103rd out of 128 countries with data for 2011.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.