Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 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 79.2% lower top tax rate
Ireland has a top tax rate of 48.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.
make 71.2% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $115,600 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.
be 47.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.
Life
be 40.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.5 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 28.8% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 11.1 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 21.1% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 95.0% 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
Ireland spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 19.7% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 75.6% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 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, The Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.