Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 7.9 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 58.8% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 71.1% more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 21.9% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 39.7% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 78.2% more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% less 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 Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.0% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 43.4% fewer children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.8% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.2% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 6.8 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 56.0% less likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 25.6% 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 Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.1% more home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 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. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.