Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.7 years longer

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 17.9% more likely to be obese

In Guatemala, 21.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.6 times more money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $12,700 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 65.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guatemala, 59.3% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

be 58.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Guatemala, 2.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

pay a 42.9% higher top tax rate

Guatemala has a top tax rate of 7.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guatemala, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.1% more likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 83.3% as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

be 69.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 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 63.1% fewer children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 21.4 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 47.1% more likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 29.0% more on education

Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 30.8% more on healthcare

Guatemala spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 11.5% less coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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