Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.3% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
have 11.0% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
see 49.9% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 28.1% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
be 30.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 31.8% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Bulgaria, approximately 4.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.4% fewer children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.1% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 13.3% less on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.0% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 41.0 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 54.1% less likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.5% more home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 21.7% more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.5% more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.