Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 78.7% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
live 6.9 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.1% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 98.0% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 38.4% less access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
be 39.1% more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 48.5 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.2% less likely to be literate
In Bulgaria, the literacy rate is 98.4% as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 76.6% as of 2018.
be 5.4 times more 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 Eritrea, on the other hand, 24.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bulgaria, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 67.7% less likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 53.5% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.3 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Eritrea, that number is 2,234 km.
Safety
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 Eritrea, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 72.2% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.5% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
use 97.7% less electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.9% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 23.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2018–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.