Bulgarian market - Official key indicators 2018

• Monthly inflation: 0.3%
• Number of population: 7 050 034
• GDP growth: 3.4%
• Employment rate: 72.6%
• Unemployment rate: 5.5%!

According to annual comprehensive studies for 2016/2017 school year of Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI):

• High school graduates in general and vocational schools are respectively 24.4 and 20.6 thousand students.
• The main foreign language in general education schools is English - 91.3%. Most Bulgarian students who plan to study abroad are proficient in English and are usually very well-prepared academically.
• The total number of students in vocational education and training after secondary education was 131.4 thousand during the school year 2016/2017.
• During the 2016/2017 academic year, for acquiring the degree ‘Professional bachelor’, 10 335 students were enrolled in colleges. In the structure of the students by fields of education, the highest relative share was found in the field of Health - 26.3%, followed by Personal services - 21.1%, Engineering and Engineering Trades - 20.3% and Business and Administration - 18.6%.
• Enrolled in the varying degrees of higher education in 2016/2017 academic year are 249.9 thousand.
• During the 2016/2017 academic year the number of students, in the two educational-qualification degrees ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Master’, in universities and specialized higher schools were 232.9 thousand. Of them in private higher schools were enrolled 31.3 thousand students or 13.5% of the total number.
• The structure of students by narrow fields of education showed that the highest proportion of students were studying in the field of Business and Administration (22.2%), followed by the field of Engineering and Engineering Trades (15.1%) and Social and behavioural science (11.6%).
• As of 31.12.2016 for acquiring educational and scientific degree ‘Doctor’ in the country are trained 6 738, of which 503 foreign citizens.