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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
4.5%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
81st
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 1991
All-time low
2.2%
in 1996
Years of data
31
1980–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria, 1980–2022

02461980200120221980: 3.5 % of GDP1990: 4.5 % of GDP1991: 5.4 % of GDP1992: 5.3 % of GDP1993: 5 % of GDP1994: 4.2 % of GDP1995: 2.4 % of GDP1996: 2.2 % of GDP1998: 2.7 % of GDP2001: 3.4 % of GDP2002: 3.4 % of GDP2003: 4 % of GDP2004: 4.2 % of GDP2005: 4.1 % of GDP2006: 3.9 % of GDP2007: 3.7 % of GDP2008: 4.2 % of GDP2009: 4.3 % of GDP2010: 3.9 % of GDP2011: 3.5 % of GDP2012: 3.5 % of GDP2013: 4.1 % of GDP2014: 4.2 % of GDP2015: 3.9 % of GDP2016: 3.8 % of GDP2017: 4.1 % of GDP2018: 4.1 % of GDP2019: 4.2 % of GDP2020: 4.5 % of GDP2021: 4.7 % of GDP2022: 4.5 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria stood at 4.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 29.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria peaked at 5.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1996.

That places Bulgaria 81st out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1990s 4.0% 2.2% 5.4% 8
2000s 3.9% 3.4% 4.3% 9
2010s 3.9% 3.5% 4.2% 10
2020s 4.6% 4.5% 4.7% 3

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 78 Portugal 4.6% compare
  2. 79 Honduras 4.5% compare
  3. 80 Burundi 4.5% compare
  4. 82 Saudi Arabia 4.5% compare
  5. 83 Seychelles 4.5% compare
  6. 84 Guyana 4.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bulgaria was 4.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1991.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1996.
How does Bulgaria rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Bulgaria ranks 81st out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.5%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.