Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Japan, you would:
Health
have 63.4% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
be 45.4% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.3 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
see 44.7% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 12.0% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 43.5% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
have 45.6% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, 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 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 26.3% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.7% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 4.7 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 28.8% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 32.3% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.