Bullying is an issue of public health importance among adolescents worldwide.
The present study aimed at explaining differences in bullying rates among adolescents in
15 low- and middle-income countries using globally comparable indicators of social and
economic well-being. Using data derived from the Global School-based Health Survey, we
performed bivariate analyses to examine differences in bullying rates by country and by
bullying type. We then constructed a multi-level model using four fixed variables (age,
gender, hunger and truancy) at the individual level, random effects at the classroom and
school levels and four fixed variables at the country level (Gini coefficient, per capita
Gross Domestic Project, homicide rate and pupil to teacher ratio). Bullying rates differed
significantly by classroom, school and by country, with Egypt (34.2%) and Macedonia
(3.6%) having the highest and lowest rates, respectively. Eleven-year-olds were the most
likely of the studied age groups to report being bullied, as was being a male. Hunger and
truancy were found to significantly predict higher rates of bullying. None of the
explanatory variables at the country level remained in the final model. While self-reported
bullying varied significantly between countries, the variance between classrooms better
explained these differences. Our findings suggest that classroom settings should be
considered when designing approaches aimed at bullying prevention.