Bulgaria — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Bulgaria, 1980–2022.
Education spending for Bulgaria was 4.50% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1980 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 5.43% in 1991. The lowest was 2.23% in 1996 (about 2.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.58% per year.
Bulgaria ranks 73 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 42%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Bulgaria sits below it. It peaked in 1991 and has fallen 17% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved up 29%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 25 of 45 economies; Latvia (4.32%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 43% in 1995. That is 9% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 120 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 38th of 63 in 1980 → 18th of 50 in 1990 → 72nd of 130 in 2010 → 74th of 157 in 2020 → 64th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1980 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.5% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 4.71% | +0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 4.48% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 4.21% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 4.05% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 4.08% | +0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 3.81% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 3.88% | -0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 4.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 4.06% | +0.6 pp |
| 2012 | 3.48% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 3.55% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 3.86% | -0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 4.27% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 4.22% | +0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 3.68% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 4.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 4.25% | +0.3 pp |
| 2003 | 4% | +0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 3.39% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 3.38% | +0.6 pp |
| 1998 | 2.74% | +0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 2.23% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 2.37% | -1.8 pp |
| 1994 | 4.17% | -0.8 pp |
| 1993 | 4.95% | -0.3 pp |
| 1992 | 5.26% | -0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 5.43% | +1.0 pp |
| 1990 | 4.45% | +0.9 pp |
| 1980 | 3.53% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Bulgaria’s Education spending in 1990?
4.45% (1990). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Bulgaria’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1980 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +27.5% in total — about 0.6% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2022: 4.5%; 2021: 4.71%; 2020: 4.48%; 2019: 4.21%; 2018: 4.05%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.