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

Health

be 99.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.5 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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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be 31.4% less likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 7.8 times more doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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have 30.4% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 65.1% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 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 89.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 60.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Swaziland, 53.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 4.9 times more money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 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 89.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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 64.9% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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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Basic Needs

be 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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 30.0% more likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 23.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% 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 25.4% less on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 91.3% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 66.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 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 14.7 times more home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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live with 48.1% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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use 4.5 times more electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 6.0 times more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 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 (2021), 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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How big is Bulgaria compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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