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

Health

live 9.2 years longer

In Sudan, the average life expectancy is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 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 105.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Sudan spends $28 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 65.9% more access to essential health services

Sudan scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 14.2% more likely to be obese

In Sudan, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Sudan has a suicide rate of 3.2 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 69.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Sudan, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 17.5 times more money

Sudan has a GDP per capita of $1,165 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sudan, approximately 256.0 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 62.1% more likely to be literate

In Sudan, the literacy rate is 60.7% as of 2018. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

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be 89.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Sudan, approximately 42.9 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 74.8% fewer children

In Sudan, there are approximately 33.0 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 51.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sudan, approximately 66% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 54% 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 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Sudan, approximately 28.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 52.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sudan, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 60% 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 2.8 times more on healthcare

Sudan spends 2.9% 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 58.5% less coastline

Sudan has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 57.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sudan, road accidents kill 19.6 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 617.0 times more home broadband

Sudan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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live with 66.1% less strain on fresh water

Sudan withdraws 119% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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use 24.1 times more electricity

Sudan uses 223 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 10.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sudan, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 12.3 times more CO2

Sudan emits 0.4 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2018–2023), 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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