If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Czech Republic, you would:

Health

be 22.8% less likely to be obese

In Czech Republic, 26.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 28.7% less likely to die by suicide

Czech Republic has a suicide rate of 13.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 4.2 years less

In Czech Republic, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 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 36.5% less spent on your healthcare

Czech Republic spends $4,674 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 13.1% less access to essential health services

Czech Republic scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 25.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Czech Republic, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Czech Republic, 10.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 43.4% less money

Czech Republic has a GDP per capita of $35,917 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Czech Republic, approximately 3.0 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 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Czech Republic, approximately 2.1 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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Safety

be 41.6% more likely to be murdered

Czech Republic has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 61.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Czech Republic, road accidents kill 5.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 83.2% more strain on fresh water

Czech Republic withdraws 22% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 25.5% less CO2

Czech Republic emits 7.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 90.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Czech Republic, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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 Czech Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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