Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 7.2 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.9% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
have 16.4% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. France scores 85 as of 2021.
have 24.2% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. France has 32.8 as of 2022.
be 74.3% more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 26.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.
make 2.4 times more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 26.1% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 16.9% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.7% 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 France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 18.2% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 45.7% more on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 13.7 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 44.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 22.9% more likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 32.2% more home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
live with 46.9% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
use 20.3% more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 84.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 24.7% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.