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

Health

live 6.3 years longer

In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 17.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bulgaria spends $2,970 as of 2023.

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have 44.2 times more doctors per person

Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bulgaria has 43.3 as of 2022.

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have 73.8% more access to essential health services

Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bulgaria scores 73 as of 2021.

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be 52.6% more likely to be obese

In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bulgaria, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 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 79.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bulgaria, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Yemen, 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 86.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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.

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have 75.8% fewer children

In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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 19.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% 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 4.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Bulgaria, about 82.4% do as of 2024.

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be 32.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% 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 18.4% less on healthcare

Yemen spends 9.7% 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 81.4% less coastline

Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.

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Safety

be 71.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 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 29.1 times more home broadband

Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Bulgaria has 37.0 as of 2023.

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live with 76.3% less strain on fresh water

Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bulgaria withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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use 59.7 times more electricity

Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bulgaria uses 5,360 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 42.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bulgaria, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.

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emit 20.4 times more CO2

Yemen emits 0.3 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), 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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