Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.7 years less

In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 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 28.2% more likely to be obese

In Switzerland, 19.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 75.0% lower top tax rate

Switzerland has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

make 59.8% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $82,900 as of 2023, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2023.

be 40.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Switzerland, 14.7% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2022.

Life

be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Switzerland, approximately 3.6 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 21.8% fewer children

In Switzerland, there are approximately 10.1 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 21.9% less likely to have internet access

In Switzerland, approximately 96.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 23.1% less on education

Switzerland spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 28.0% less on healthcare

Switzerland spends 11.8% 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, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, Swiss Federal Tax Administration.

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 Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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