Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 8.3 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.8% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 16.4% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sweden scores 85 as of 2021.
be 45.5% more likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Bulgaria, 21.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
make 3.1 times more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% 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 Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.5% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
have 12.0% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.2% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sweden, about 95.8% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 62.7% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 41.7% more on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 9.1 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 75.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Bulgaria, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 73% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
live with 91.1% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 2.3 times more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 87.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.8% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 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. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.