If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Cameroon, you would:

Health

be 96.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.8 years longer

In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 12.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 31.8 times more doctors per person

Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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have 65.9% more access to essential health services

Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 26.7% more likely to be obese

In Cameroon, 16.0% 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

Cameroon 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 43.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 10.3 times more money

Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 35.6% more likely to be literate

In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

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be 88.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 75.1% fewer children

In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 78.2% more likely to have internet access

In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 38.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% 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 58.5% more on education

Cameroon spends 2.8% 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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spend 74.1% more on healthcare

Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 11.9% less coastline

Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 83.9% less likely to be murdered

Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 20.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 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 17.4 times more home broadband

Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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use 23.7 times more electricity

Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 25.8 times more strain on fresh water

Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 37.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 15.2 times more CO2

Cameroon 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 (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.

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