Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.2 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 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 2.9 times more likely to be obese

In Mali, 8.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 13.3 times more money

Mali has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 53.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mali, 44.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

be 42.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Mali, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

Life

be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mali, approximately 440.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.8 times more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.5% as of 2018. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

be 86.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Mali, approximately 60.6 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 80.8% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Bulgaria, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 88.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 53% of people have electricity access (97% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

be 14.6% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Mali, approximately 86% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 97.7% more on healthcare

Mali spends 4.3% 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.

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 Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.

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