Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.6 years less

In Hungary, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate

Hungary has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

make 23.7% less money

Hungary has a GDP per capita of $35,400 as of 2022, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $27,000 as of 2022.

be 18.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Hungary, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

be 89.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Hungary, 12.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 22.9% as of 2021.

Life

be 53.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Hungary, approximately 15.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 72.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Hungary, approximately 4.6 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 13.2% fewer children

In Hungary, there are approximately 9.1 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 16.0% less likely to have internet access

In Hungary, approximately 89.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 16.7% less on education

Hungary spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 16.4% more on healthcare

Hungary spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2020.

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

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 Hungary? See an in-depth size comparison.

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