If you lived in Senegal instead of Bulgaria, you would:

Health

be 43.0% less likely to be obese

In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 28.9% less likely to die by suicide

Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.8 years less

In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 93.1% less spent on your healthcare

Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.

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have 97.5% fewer doctors per person

Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Senegal has 1.1 as of 2023.

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have 31.5% less access to essential health services

Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Senegal scores 50 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 22.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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be 76.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.

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make 90.4% less money

Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.5 times more children

In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 39.5 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 48.8% less likely to be literate

In Bulgaria, the literacy rate is 98.4% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.

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be 6.3 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.8% 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 Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 27.1% less likely to have internet access

In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.

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be 11.2% 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 Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 45.5% less on healthcare

Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 36.9% more on education

Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 50.0% more coastline

Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

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Safety

be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Senegal, they kill 20.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 59.5% less strain on fresh water

Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.

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find 89.1% less home broadband

Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.

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use 92.3% less electricity

Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Senegal uses 410 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 85.5% less CO2

Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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