Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Botswana, you would:

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Botswana, 19.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2019.

live 9.9 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 32.3% more likely to be obese

In Botswana, 18.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 74.2% more money

Botswana has a GDP per capita of $15,500 as of 2022, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $27,000 as of 2022.

be 81.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Botswana, 23.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

pay a 60.0% lower top tax rate

Botswana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

be 42.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 22.9% as of 2021.

Life

be 96.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Botswana, approximately 186.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 11.2% more likely to be literate

In Botswana, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2015. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

be 68.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Botswana, approximately 25.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, 8.0 children do as of 2022.

have 59.7% fewer children

In Botswana, there are approximately 19.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 35.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Botswana, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (93% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 54.0% less on education

Botswana spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 37.1% more on healthcare

Botswana spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria.

Bulgaria: At a glance

Bulgaria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 108,489 sq km. The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Bulgaria compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.

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