Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total was 10.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
10.9%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
88th
of 124 countries
All-time high
29.7%
in 2001
All-time low
10.9%
in 2024
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria, 2001–2024

01020302001201220242001: 29.7 % of youth population2002: 27.4 % of youth population2003: 28.3 % of youth population2004: 24.4 % of youth population2005: 25.1 % of youth population2006: 22.2 % of youth population2007: 19.1 % of youth population2008: 16.8 % of youth population2009: 19.8 % of youth population2010: 21.1 % of youth population2011: 22.4 % of youth population2012: 21.6 % of youth population2013: 21 % of youth population2014: 20.2 % of youth population2015: 18.5 % of youth population2016: 18.2 % of youth population2017: 15.8 % of youth population2018: 13.8 % of youth population2019: 13.5 % of youth population2020: 14.7 % of youth population2021: 13.6 % of youth population2022: 12.6 % of youth population2023: 11.2 % of youth population2024: 10.9 % of youth population

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of youth population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria is 10.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 46.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria peaked at 29.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2024.

That places Bulgaria 88th out of 124 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) in Bulgaria, 2001 to 2024.
Year % of youth population Change
2001 29.7%
2002 27.4% -7.8%
2003 28.3% +3.3%
2004 24.4% -13.9%
2005 25.1% +2.8%
2006 22.2% -11.2%
2007 19.1% -13.9%
2008 16.8% -12.3%
2009 19.8% +18.0%
2010 21.1% +6.7%
2011 22.4% +5.9%
2012 21.6% -3.6%
2013 21.0% -3.0%
2014 20.2% -3.6%
2015 18.5% -8.5%
2016 18.2% -1.5%
2017 15.8% -12.9%
2018 13.8% -12.6%
2019 13.5% -2.2%
2020 14.7% +8.6%
2021 13.6% -7.7%
2022 12.6% -7.5%
2023 11.2% -11.1%
2024 10.9% -2.3%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 10.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.1%, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 10.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.2%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 23.6% 16.8% 29.7% 9
2010s 18.6% 13.5% 22.4% 10
2020s 12.6% 10.9% 14.7% 5

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 85 Italy 12.0% compare
  2. 86 Nigeria 11.9% compare
  3. 87 United States of America 11.6% compare
  4. 89 Spain 10.5% compare
  5. 90 Greece 10.4% compare
  6. 91 Viet Nam 10.3% compare

See the full ranking of 143 places →

More work & labour data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria?
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria was 10.9% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2001.
What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2024.
How does Bulgaria rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total?
Bulgaria ranks 88th out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 46.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-youth-not-in-education-employment-or-training-total-percent-of-youth-population-2/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population)
Unit
% of youth population
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
143 places, 2,755 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).