Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 13.7 years longer
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 51.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 20.8 times more doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
have 73.8% more access to essential health services
Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 20.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 25.2 times more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.6% more likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.
be 91.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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.
have 79.7% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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.
be 4.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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.
Expenditures
spend 58.5% more on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.6 times more coastline
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 48.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 1234.0 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
use 41.7 times more electricity
Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
live with 175.0 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.5 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Bulgaria
MORE COMPARISONS
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.