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

Health

be 41.9% less likely to be obese

In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 61.6% less likely to die by suicide

Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bulgaria, it is 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.5 years less

In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 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.

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have 11.0% less access to essential health services

Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 52.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 22.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2024.

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make 19.4% less money

Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $20,328 as of 2025.

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Life

be 60.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 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 25.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 15.3% fewer children

In Uruguay, 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.

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Basic Needs

be 10.4% less likely to have internet access

In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 12.2% less on healthcare

Uruguay spends 9.0% 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 46.4% less coastline

Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 90.3% less likely to be murdered

Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bulgaria, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 35.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 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 12.0% more home broadband

Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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use 41.4% more electricity

Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 3.3 times more strain on fresh water

Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.1 times more CO2

Uruguay emits 2.6 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.

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