Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bulgaria fits inside Romania 2.1 times.
Bulgaria: 110,997 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Bulgaria’s coastline is 57% longer than Romania’s.
Bulgaria: 354 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Bulgaria’s highest peak towers 381 m above Romania’s.
Bulgaria: 2,925 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 3 times as many people as Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 6.43 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 39% more densely populated than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 59 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 3.7 cm taller than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 174.2 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Romania and Bulgaria are practically level.
Bulgaria: 164.6 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Bulgaria is 1.7 years older than in Romania.
Bulgaria: 44.3 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bulgaria have 0.3 more children on average than in Romania.
Bulgaria: 1.72 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Bulgaria are 65 or older, versus 20% in Romania.
Bulgaria: 22.2% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bulgaria 1.6.
Bulgaria: 1.6 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bulgaria and Romania are practically level.
Bulgaria: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 3.3 times the size of Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: $131 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 14% more per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: Int$44,451 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Bulgaria than in Romania (Gini 9.7 points higher).
Bulgaria: 39.5 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 3.5% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3.5% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania and Bulgaria are practically level.
Bulgaria: 2.1% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Bulgaria’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Romania’s.
Bulgaria: 46% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Bulgaria spends 20% more on health per person than Romania.
Bulgaria: $1,258 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Romania live 0.7 years longer than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 75.8 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 30% more likely to die before turning one than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 4.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Bulgaria has 19% more doctors per person than Romania.
Bulgaria: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 24% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 24% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Bulgaria smoke, versus 30% in Romania.
Bulgaria: 38.7% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 5.70 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 29% more alcohol than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 13.2 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 14% more meat per person than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 63.7 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 649 kcal more food per person per day than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3,000 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 167 more hours a year than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1,659 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 0.1 years longer than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 11.5 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Bulgaria welcomed 23% more tourists per resident than Romania (2019).
Bulgaria: 0.86 (2022) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 82% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 82% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Bulgaria and Romania are practically level.
Bulgaria: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
74% of people in Bulgaria live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Bulgaria: 74% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Romania has 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bulgaria 118.
Bulgaria: 118 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: 4,031 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Romania fly 31% more passengers per resident than those from Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 0.11 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Bulgaria, but only 30% of Romania.
Bulgaria: 36.2% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Bulgaria emits 30% more CO₂ than someone in Romania.
Bulgaria: 4.7 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 32.8% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bulgaria carries 44% more fine dust than in Romania.
Bulgaria: 20.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 14% deadlier than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 8.4 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bulgaria is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Romania.
Bulgaria: 12.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 4% more rain than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 730 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bulgaria bigger than Romania?
Romania is larger. Bulgaria fits inside Romania 2.1 times.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Romania?
Romania has 3 times as many people as Bulgaria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Romania?
People in Romania live 0.7 years longer than in Bulgaria. Life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years in Bulgaria and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Bulgaria or Romania?
Men in Romania are 3.7 cm taller than in Bulgaria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
