Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 191.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bulgaria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.2 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 13.2% more likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 25.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 27.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 22.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
make 50.0% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $27,000 as of 2022, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $13,500 as of 2022.
be 6.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 28.8% as of 2022.
pay a 4.5 times higher top tax rate
Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 18.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Africa, 127.0 women do as of 2020.
be 3.2 times more 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bulgaria, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2021. In South Africa, that number is 89% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 65.0% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 7.9 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.