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

Health

live 7.1 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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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be 15.6% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 9.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 16.6 times more doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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have 82.5% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 65.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 9.3 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 381.0 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 46.9% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

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be 84.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 30.2 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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have 75.6% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 80.1% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 28.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Mauritania, approximately 77% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.9% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 82.5% more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% 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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Geography

see 53.1% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 11.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 39.0 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 5.5 times more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 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 (2021), The World Factbook (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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