Education in Varna, Bulgaria: official figures
Varna municipality had 77 educational institutions in the 2024/25 school year: 53 general education schools, 12 vocational gymnasiums and 6 universities or equivalent higher schools.
How many pupils per teacher are there in Varna?
Schools in Varna taught 40,466 pupils with 3,443 teachers in 2024/25, 11.8 pupils per teacher against 10.3 nationally.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many university students are there in Varna?
21,991 students were enrolled at colleges and universities in Varna municipality in 2024/25, 67 per 1,000 residents against 32 nationally.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many kindergartens are there in Varna?
61 kindergartens in Varna cared for 11,993 children with 864 kindergarten teachers in 2024/25 (13.9 children per teacher, national 12.1); 274 of the children attended kindergartens in villages.
Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copyHow many young children are in childcare in Varna?
51% of children under 5 were in day care or school in 2025 (515 per 1,000).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many students are there in Varna?
22,454 students were enrolled in higher education in Varna in 2025, 69 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Varna have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Varna in 2022, 47% had a degree-level education, 45% an upper secondary education and 8% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 58.2% of upper-secondary students in Varna followed vocational programmes in 2024/25, 2nd lowest of 6 cities (national share 57.0%). Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
- Varna had 36 creches with 2,072 places at the end of 2024, attended by 2,280 children. Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) · saved copy
How Varna compares with other cities in Bulgaria
Pupils per school teacher (2024/25)
Varna ranks 1 of 6, highest first. General, special, art, sport and vocational schools
| Rank | City | Pupils per school teacher |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Varna | 11.8 |
| 2 | Burgas | 11.7 |
| 3 | Plovdiv | 11.5 |
| 4 | Stara Zagora | 11.1 |
| 5 | Sofia | 10.9 |
| 6 | Ruse | 10.1 |
Upper-secondary students in vocational programmes (%) (2024/25)
Varna ranks 5 of 6, highest first.
| Rank | City | Upper-secondary students in vocational programmes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burgas | 65.8% |
| 2 | Stara Zagora | 61.4% |
| 3 | Plovdiv | 59.1% |
| 4 | Ruse | 59.1% |
| 5 | Varna | 58.2% |
| 6 | Sofia | 41.9% |
College and university students per 1,000 residents (2024/25)
Varna ranks 2 of 6, highest first. By location of the institution
| Rank | City | College and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plovdiv | 102 |
| 2 | Varna | 67 |
| 3 | Sofia | 66 |
| 4 | Stara Zagora | 42 |
| 5 | Ruse | 35 |
| 6 | Burgas | 32 |
Kindergarten children per teacher (2024/25)
Varna ranks 2 of 6, highest first.
| Rank | City | Kindergarten children per teacher |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stara Zagora | 14.5 |
| 2 | Varna | 13.9 |
| 3 | Plovdiv | 13.7 |
| 4 | Burgas | 13.2 |
| 5 | Sofia | 12.1 |
| 6 | Ruse | 11.6 |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Varna ranks 2 of 6, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plovdiv | 104 |
| 2 | Varna | 69 |
| 3 | Sofia | 68 |
| 4 | Stara Zagora | 43 |
| 5 | Ruse | 36 |
| 6 | Burgas | 32 |
Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 (2025)
Varna ranks 4 of 6, highest first.
| Rank | City | Children 0-4 in day care per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burgas | 542 |
| 2 | Ruse | 526 |
| 3 | Sofia | 517 |
| 4 | Varna | 515 |
| 5 | Stara Zagora | 496 |
| 6 | Plovdiv | 456 |
More on Varna: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · all cities in Bulgaria
Sources
- National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI): Regions, districts and municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria 2024 (yearbook tables by statistical region, district and municipality), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81cba27bb0cc…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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