Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.8 years longer

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 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

make 4.6 times more money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $7,300 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 10.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

be 17.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

pay a 66.7% lower top tax rate

Nicaragua has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 91.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nicaragua, approximately 78.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 19.1% more likely to be literate

In Nicaragua, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2015. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

be 58.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 19.1 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 51.8% fewer children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 16.4 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 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 66% 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 31.6% more likely to have internet access

In Nicaragua, approximately 57.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

be 19.0% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Nicaragua, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 63% 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 13.0% less on education

Nicaragua spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 61.1% less coastline

Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, 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 Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.

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