Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bulgaria instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 35.7% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
have 44.7% more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.
live 7.3 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 20.3% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.
have 11.0% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.1% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 59.6% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.
Life
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bulgaria, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.1% more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 15.5% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 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 17.6% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bulgaria spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 59.4% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 7.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.1% less coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.
Safety
be 58.0% more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 42.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bulgaria, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.3% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 64.9% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 70.9% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Bulgaria
Bulgaria: At a glance
How big is Bulgaria compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.