Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 39.0% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 49.4% less likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bulgaria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.8% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 97.9% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 37.0% less access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 95.5% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.6 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 59.0 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.5% less likely to be literate
In Bulgaria, the literacy rate is 98.4% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 7.1 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.1% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.0% less likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 12.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bulgaria, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.6% less on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 63.5% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.4% less coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 31.9% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Bulgaria, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Gambia, that number is 59% as of 2020.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.5% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 98.6% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.6% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 42.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
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: Bulgaria vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.