Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bulgaria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 9.5 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 56.4% more likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 54.4% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 81.7% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 9.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 78.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 67.5% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.7 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.3 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% 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 South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 33.8% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 12.5% more on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.9 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 40.1 times more likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 57.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Bulgaria, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.5% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 68.0% more strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 39.4% less electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 25.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.6% more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bulgaria vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.