Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Bulgaria instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 15.9 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $27,000 as of 2022.

be 39.1% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 93.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 64.1% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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 40.2% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 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 89.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 53% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2021.

Geography

see 85.8% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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