Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
have 21.1% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
be 48.2% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.5 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 60.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 15.1% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 72.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
make 66.5% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.9% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.3% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 26.7% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.3 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 39.3% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 86% as of 2020.
be 82.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 23.8% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
find 16.3% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
use 24.5% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 27.4% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.