Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 9.6 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 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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Economy

be 26.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 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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make 64.3% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

have 69.4% more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 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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be 80.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.9% less likely to have internet access

In Hong Kong, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.1% more on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 51.7% less coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

use 15.7% less electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 15.4% more CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 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 (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Bulgaria

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Bulgaria is 62.3% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 100 times smaller than Bulgaria.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to Bulgaria · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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 Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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