Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
North Macedonia fits inside Bulgaria 4.3 times.
Bulgaria: 110,997 km² (2023) · North Macedonia: 25,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Bulgaria: 354 km (2026 edition) · North Macedonia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Bulgaria’s highest peak towers 161 m above North Macedonia’s.
Bulgaria: 2,925 m (2026 edition) · North Macedonia: 2,764 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bulgaria has 3.5 times as many people as North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 6.43 million (2025) · North Macedonia: 1.82 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
North Macedonia is 22% more densely populated than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 59 per km² (2025) · North Macedonia: 72 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in North Macedonia are 2.3 cm taller than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 174.2 cm (2019) · North Macedonia: 176.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Bulgaria are 3.7 cm taller than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 164.6 cm (2019) · North Macedonia: 160.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Bulgaria is 4.1 years older than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 44.3 years (2023) · North Macedonia: 40.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bulgaria have 0.3 more children on average than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 1.72 children per woman (2024) · North Macedonia: 1.4 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Bulgaria are 65 or older, versus 19% in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 22.2% (2025) · North Macedonia: 18.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
North Macedonia has produced 5.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bulgaria 1.6.
Bulgaria: 1.6 (2025) · North Macedonia: 5.5 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bulgaria and North Macedonia are practically level.
Bulgaria: 1 (2026) · North Macedonia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Bulgaria’s economy is 6.8 times the size of North Macedonia’s.
Bulgaria: $131 billion (2025) · North Macedonia: $19.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Bulgaria produces 59% more per person than North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: Int$44,451 (2025) · North Macedonia: Int$28,029 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Bulgaria than in North Macedonia (Gini 6 points higher).
Bulgaria: 39.5 (2023) · North Macedonia: 33.5 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in North Macedonia, versus 3.5% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3.5% (2025) · North Macedonia: 12.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bulgaria and North Macedonia are practically level.
Bulgaria: 2.1% (2024) · North Macedonia: 2.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Bulgaria’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× North Macedonia’s.
Bulgaria: 46% (2025) · North Macedonia: 37% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Bulgaria spends 2 times as much on health per person as North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: $1,258 (2023) · North Macedonia: $639 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in North Macedonia live 0.86 years longer than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 75.8 years (2024) · North Macedonia: 76.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bulgaria is 84% more likely to die before turning one than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 4.6 per 1,000 (2024) · North Macedonia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Bulgaria has 47% more doctors per person than North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · North Macedonia: 2.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in North Macedonia are obese, versus 24% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 24% (2024) · North Macedonia: 31.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
40% of adults in North Macedonia smoke, versus 39% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 38.7% (2024) · North Macedonia: 39.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
North Macedonia and Bulgaria are practically level.
Bulgaria: 5.70 (2025) · North Macedonia: 5.72 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Bulgaria drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 13.2 litres (2023) · North Macedonia: 6.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Bulgaria has 24% more meat per person than North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 63.7 kg (2023) · North Macedonia: 51.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
North Macedonia has 476 kcal more food per person per day than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3,000 kcal (2023) · North Macedonia: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in North Macedonia put in 290 more hours a year than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1,659 hours (2023) · North Macedonia: 1,949 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Bulgaria went to school 1.2 years longer than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 11.5 years (2023) · North Macedonia: 10.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Bulgaria welcomed 89% more tourists per resident than North Macedonia (2019).
Bulgaria: 0.86 (2022) · North Macedonia: 0.46 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
93% of people in North Macedonia are online, versus 82% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 82% (2024) · North Macedonia: 93% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Bulgaria and North Macedonia are practically level.
Bulgaria: 100% (2024) · North Macedonia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
74% of people in Bulgaria live in cities, versus 63% in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 74% (2025) · North Macedonia: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Bulgaria has 118 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, North Macedonia 108.
Bulgaria: 118 (2024) · North Macedonia: 108 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bulgaria’s railway network is 5.9 times as long as North Macedonia’s.
Bulgaria: 4,031 km (2021) · North Macedonia: 683 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Bulgaria: 0.11 (2023) · North Macedonia: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 40% of North Macedonia, but only 36% of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 36.2% (2023) · North Macedonia: 39.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Bulgaria emits 29% more CO₂ than someone in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 4.7 t (2024) · North Macedonia: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of North Macedonia’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 32.8% (2025) · North Macedonia: 47.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
North Macedonia and Bulgaria are nearly identical here.
Bulgaria: 20.6 µg/m³ (2024) · North Macedonia: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 40% more likely to be murdered in North Macedonia than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · North Macedonia: 1.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bulgaria are 47% deadlier than in North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 8.4 per 100k (2021) · North Macedonia: 5.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bulgaria is on average 0.4 °C warmer than North Macedonia.
Bulgaria: 12.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · North Macedonia: 12°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
North Macedonia gets 9% more rain than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 730 mm (2016–2025 avg) · North Macedonia: 796 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bulgaria bigger than North Macedonia?
Bulgaria is larger. North Macedonia fits inside Bulgaria 4.3 times.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or North Macedonia?
Bulgaria has 3.5 times as many people as North Macedonia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or North Macedonia?
People in North Macedonia live 0.86 years longer than in Bulgaria. Life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years in Bulgaria and 76.6 in North Macedonia.
Are people taller in Bulgaria or North Macedonia?
Men in North Macedonia are 2.3 cm taller than in Bulgaria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
