Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 27.9% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.4 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.8% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 13.0% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
have 16.1% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 73.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
make 78.5% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 14.4% fewer children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.7% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.1% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 16.0% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.6% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 51.4% more likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.0% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
live with 19.7 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 77.4% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 26.0% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.