Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 55.5% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.4% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
have 15.3% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
Economy
make 15.9% more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
be 66.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
Life
be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In Russia, approximately 94.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.5% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.1% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 83.9% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.5% more home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.
live with 9.8 times more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 26.4% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 62.0% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 61.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 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: Russia vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.