Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 48.8% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 4.2 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
have 23.7% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 77.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 3.8 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
be 21.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
Life
be 90.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.1% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.
be 77.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 67.6% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.2% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 60.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
live with 32.5% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 3.9 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 27.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 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: Iraq vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.