Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Bulgaria instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2019.

live 10.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 11.7% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.3 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 84.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

pay a 77.8% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

be 24.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

Life

be 94.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 69.2% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 55.4% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 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 South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% 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.

Expenditures

spend 39.4% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.3% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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, South African Revenue Service.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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