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

Health

be 35.2% less likely to be obese

In Hungary, 31.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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have 25.2% more doctors per person

Hungary has 34.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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be 42.2% less likely to die by suicide

Hungary has a suicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 1.0 years less

In Hungary, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 21.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Hungary, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 75.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Hungary, 12.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 21.5% less money

Hungary has a GDP per capita of $25,907 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Hungary, approximately 12.0 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 48.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Hungary, approximately 3.1 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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Basic Needs

be 12.1% less likely to have internet access

In Hungary, approximately 93.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.4% more on education

Hungary spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 24.3% more on healthcare

Hungary spends 6.4% 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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Safety

be 51.4% more likely to be murdered

Hungary has a homicide rate of 0.7 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 13.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Hungary, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

use 11.4% more electricity

Hungary uses 4,812 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water

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

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Environment

be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Hungary, air pollution causes 42.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 19.1% more CO2

Hungary emits 4.5 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). 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 Hungary? See an in-depth size comparison.

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