If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

live 14.5 years longer

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 13.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 29.2 times more doctors per person

Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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have 82.5% more access to essential health services

Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 11.9% more likely to die by suicide

Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 50.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 17.7 times more money

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

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be 89.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 73.5% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 98.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 15.6% less on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 69.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 43.6 times more home broadband

Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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use 40.2 times more electricity

Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 5.1 times more strain on fresh water

Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 19.7 times more CO2

Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Bulgaria: At a glance

Bulgaria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 108,489 sq km. The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Bulgaria compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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