Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.1 years longer

In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 17.6% less likely to be obese

In Bulgaria, 25.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.0 times more money

Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $27,000 as of 2022, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $55,300 as of 2022.

be 30.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Bulgaria, 22.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.0% as of 2021.

be 73.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Bulgaria, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 7.4% as of 2022.

pay a 5.7 times higher top tax rate

Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% 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 Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 71.2% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2022.

have 35.4% more children

In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 17.3% more likely to have internet access

In Bulgaria, approximately 75.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 80.0% more on education

Bulgaria spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.1% more on healthcare

Bulgaria spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 9.1 times more coastline

Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

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

Sweden: At a glance

Sweden is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 410,335 sq km. A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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How big is Sweden compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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