Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 34.6% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
be 56.3% less likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.1 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.5% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 95.7% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
have 43.8% less access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mali scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.
make 94.1% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.8 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 61.2 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 Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.8% less likely to be literate
In Bulgaria, the literacy rate is 98.4% as of 2021. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.
be 10.3 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 Mali, on the other hand, 47.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.5% 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 Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 55.4% less likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
be 12.9% 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 Mali, that number is 86% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.9% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 80.1% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 97.9% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.4% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.