Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 25.5% more spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 12.3% more access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 82.0% less likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.6% more likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
have 30.9% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 50.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 18.3% more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.3% more likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% less on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 37.2% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.7 times more coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 36.7% less likely to be murdered
Bulgaria has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 29.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.3% more home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 37.5 times more strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.