Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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 21.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 20.0 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
have 92.1% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
be 65.9% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
be 33.6% more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
make 12.3 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 91.5% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.
be 89.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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.
have 75.2% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 75.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
be 42.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.3% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 66.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 132.2 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
use 46.8 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
live with 41.1 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.8 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.