Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.0 years longer

In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 20.4% less likely to be obese

In Bulgaria, 25.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Italy, that number is 19.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 64.1% more money

Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $27,000 as of 2022, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $44,300 as of 2022.

be 12.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Bulgaria, 22.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

be 89.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Bulgaria, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 8.1% as of 2022.

pay a 4.9 times higher top tax rate

Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Italy, the top tax rate is 48.8% 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 Italy, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 60.4% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

have 10.1% fewer children

In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 12.9% more on healthcare

Bulgaria spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Italy, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 21.5 times more coastline

Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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