Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Russia instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 13.3% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 17.6% of people as of 2024.
have 18.1% more doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Russia has 51.1 as of 2022.
live 2.3 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Russia, it is 21.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Russia, that number is 2.1% as of 2025.
be 66.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Russia, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2024.
make 13.7% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $17,547 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.9% 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 Russia, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Russia, 9.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 14.5% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Russia, about 94.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Russia, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 106.4 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.
Safety
be 6.2 times more likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Russia, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 26.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Russia, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 89.8% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Russia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 35.9% more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Russia uses 7,285 kWh as of 2023.
find 26.7% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Russia has 27.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Russia, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Russia emits 14.0 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. Russia
Russia: At a glance
How big is Russia compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.