Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 20.2% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.0 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 57.1% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 18.0% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
Economy
make 79.3% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, 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.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, 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.
have 25.9% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 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 16.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.4% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 11.8% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.9% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 15.5% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 103.2 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 89.1% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 37.7% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.