Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece is 19% bigger than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 110,997 km² (2023) · Greece: 131,960 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 39 times as long as Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: 354 km (2026 edition) · Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Bulgaria and Greece are practically level.
Bulgaria: 2,925 m (2026 edition) · Greece: 2,917 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Greece has 62% more people than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 6.43 million (2025) · Greece: 10.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Greece is 36% more densely populated than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 59 per km² (2025) · Greece: 81 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 5.1 cm taller than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 174.2 cm (2019) · Greece: 179.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 1.2 cm taller than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 164.6 cm (2019) · Greece: 165.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greece is 1.4 years older than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 44.3 years (2023) · Greece: 45.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bulgaria have 0.5 more children on average than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 1.72 children per woman (2024) · Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Greece are 65 or older, versus 22% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 22.2% (2025) · Greece: 24.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bulgaria has produced 1.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Greece 1.0.
Bulgaria: 1.6 (2025) · Greece: 1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bulgaria and Greece are practically level.
Bulgaria: 1 (2026) · Greece: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Greece’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: $131 billion (2025) · Greece: $281 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Greece produces 2% more per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: Int$44,451 (2025) · Greece: Int$45,264 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Bulgaria than in Greece (Gini 6.1 points higher).
Bulgaria: 39.5 (2023) · Greece: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 3.5% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3.5% (2025) · Greece: 8.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Bulgaria 2.1%.
Bulgaria: 2.1% (2024) · Greece: 3.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Greece’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: 46% (2025) · Greece: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Greece spends 56% more on health per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: $1,258 (2023) · Greece: $1,963 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Greece live 6.1 years longer than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 75.8 years (2024) · Greece: 81.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bulgaria is 44% more likely to die before turning one than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 4.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 52% more doctors per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 24% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 24% (2024) · Greece: 33.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Bulgaria smoke, versus 30% in Greece.
Bulgaria: 38.7% (2024) · Greece: 30.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Bulgaria and Greece are practically level.
Bulgaria: 5.70 (2025) · Greece: 5.70 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Bulgaria drink 54% more alcohol than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 13.2 litres (2023) · Greece: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 29% more meat per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 63.7 kg (2023) · Greece: 82 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greece has 382 kcal more food per person per day than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3,000 kcal (2023) · Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Greece put in 234 more hours a year than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1,659 hours (2023) · Greece: 1,893 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Greece went to school 0.1 years longer than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 11.5 years (2023) · Greece: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as Bulgaria (2019).
Bulgaria: 0.86 (2022) · Greece: 2.67 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Greece are online, versus 82% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 82% (2024) · Greece: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Bulgaria and Greece are practically level.
Bulgaria: 100% (2024) · Greece: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Greece live in cities, versus 74% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 74% (2025) · Greece: 79% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Bulgaria has 118 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114.
Bulgaria: 118 (2024) · Greece: 114 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bulgaria’s railway network is 72% longer than Greece’s.
Bulgaria: 4,031 km (2021) · Greece: 2,339 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 0.11 (2023) · Greece: 1.83 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Bulgaria, but only 30% of Greece.
Bulgaria: 36.2% (2023) · Greece: 30.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Greece emits 13% more CO₂ than someone in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 4.7 t (2024) · Greece: 5.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 32.8% (2025) · Greece: 49.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bulgaria carries 36% more fine dust than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 20.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 30% more likely to be murdered in Bulgaria than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bulgaria are 15% deadlier than in Greece.
Bulgaria: 8.4 per 100k (2021) · Greece: 7.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Greece is on average 3.4 °C warmer than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 12.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Greece gets 10% more rain than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 730 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bulgaria bigger than Greece?
Greece is larger. Greece is 19% bigger than Bulgaria.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Greece?
Greece has 62% more people than Bulgaria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Greece?
People in Greece live 6.1 years longer than in Bulgaria. Life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years in Bulgaria and 81.8 in Greece.
Are people taller in Bulgaria or Greece?
Men in Greece are 5.1 cm taller than in Bulgaria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
