Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.4 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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 5.3 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 73.7% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

make 34.2% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 62.9% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2023.

be 43.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

Life

have 14.2% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Bulgaria, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 23.5% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 14.9% less on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 85.3% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 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, National Tax Service, South Korea.

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 Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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