Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Slovakia, you would:
Health
be 22.1% less likely to be obese
In Slovakia, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
have 17.1% more doctors per person
Slovakia has 37.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
live 2.6 years less
In Slovakia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
have 11.0% less access to essential health services
Slovakia scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Slovakia, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 54.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Slovakia, 13.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.
make 28.8% less money
Slovakia has a GDP per capita of $28,544 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Slovakia, approximately 5.3 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.
be 50.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Slovakia, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Slovakia, road accidents kill 6.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 14.7% more electricity
Slovakia uses 4,675 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
live with 16.6 times more strain on fresh water
Slovakia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Slovakia, air pollution causes 30.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Slovakia vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to Slovakia? See an in-depth size comparison.