Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 17.3% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
live 2.1 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 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.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 5.2 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.7% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.
be 55.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 34.0% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.6% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 31.3% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 85.5% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 59.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
live with 50.5% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 40.5% more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 41.3% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 23.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.