Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 11.1% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
see 66.0% more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
have 35.2% more doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
have 20.5% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Portugal scores 88 as of 2021.
be 21.1% more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
make 57.8% more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
be 74.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.3% 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 Portugal, on the other hand, 2.7 children do as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 29.3% more on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.1 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 33.9% less likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 14.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.2% more home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 69.4% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
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 Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.5% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 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. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.