If you lived in Bulgaria instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:

Health

live 6.1 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 17.4% more likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bulgaria, that number is 25.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 7.1 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,800 as of 2022, while in Bulgaria, the GDP per capita is $27,000 as of 2022.

be 38.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Bulgaria, however, that number is 22.9% as of 2021.

pay a 76.2% lower top tax rate

Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Bulgaria, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

be 53.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Bulgaria, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 96.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Bulgaria, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 53.3% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 64.2% as of 2015. In Bulgaria, it is 98.4% as of 2021.

be 76.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, 8.0 children do as of 2022.

have 71.9% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bulgaria, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 4.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 21% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Bulgaria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Bulgaria, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.9 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Bulgaria spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 3.4 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Bulgaria, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 93.1% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Bulgaria, that number is 354 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

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 Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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