• Literacy rate: 99%
• Numbers in tertiary education: 233,678 students

The education system

Education is free and compulsory between the ages of seven and 15. The system has been changed from a Soviet-inspired to a west European-style model. Over 10,000 teachers were dismissed in 2002 as part of a restructuring of the sector. Standards continue to be lowest in the rural and Turkish communities.

• Protected land as percentage of total land area: 5% (2% partially protected)
• CO2 emissions trend: 5.2 tonnes per capita

Environmental treaties

• Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Washington DC, 1973: yes
• Convention on Biological Diversity Earth Summit in Rio, 1992: yes
• 1992 Amendment to protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer (amendment to Montreal Protocol) Copenhagen, 1992: yes
• Kyoto Convention on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Earth Summit in Kyoto, 1997: yes
• Basel convention on the dumping of hazardous wastes (Basel) Basel, 1989: yes
• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) Ramsar, Iran 1971: yes

Environmental degradation led to the foundation in 1989 of the Ecoglasnost party. It circulated information on pollution and nuclear waste dump locations, and brought polluters to court. The Kozloduy nuclear complex, east of Lom, was restarted in 1995 despite safety concerns. It is in the process of closing its oldest reactors. Air pollution has diminished, but problems remain. NATO bombing of Serbian chemical and oil refineries on the Danube in 1999 led to downriver pollution in Bulgaria.

• Doctors: 1 per 294 people
• Major causes of death: Cerebrovascular and heart diseases, cancers

Hospital facilities have kept pace with population growth, but the 1997 economic crisis brought the health service to the brink of collapse. A new health policy was formulated in 1999, the plan of action emphasizing primary care. The Bulgarian Red Cross assists in health administration.