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

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 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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see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Moldova spends $1,181 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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be 32.7% less likely to die by suicide

Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 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 36.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Moldova, 33.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 2.4 times more money

Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 68.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Moldova, approximately 19.0 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 69.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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.

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have 21.6% fewer children

In Moldova, there are approximately 10.6 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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Expenditures

spend 31.4% less on education

Moldova spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 17.5% more on healthcare

Moldova spends 6.7% 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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Safety

be 57.1% less likely to be murdered

Moldova has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 24.9% more home broadband

Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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use 2.2 times more electricity

Moldova uses 2,412 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water

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

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Environment

emit 55.3% more CO2

Moldova emits 3.4 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). 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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How big is Bulgaria compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.

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