Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Ireland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 3.5 times more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $33,300 as of 2023, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $115,600 as of 2023.
be 32.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
pay a 4.8 times higher top tax rate
Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Ireland, the top tax rate is 48.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 28.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ireland, 5.0 women do as of 2020.
be 56.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Bulgaria, approximately 8.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ireland, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.
have 40.5% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ireland, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.7% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 75.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ireland, about 95.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 22.5% less on education
Bulgaria spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ireland spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 16.5% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ireland, that number is 7.1% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, The Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.