World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country and Bulgaria are nearly identical here.
Bulgaria: 110,997 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 24% longer than Bulgaria’s.
Bulgaria: 354 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Bulgaria’s highest peak towers 590 m above the median country’s.
Bulgaria: 2,925 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 15% more people than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 6.43 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 66% more densely populated than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 59 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level.
Bulgaria: 174.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Bulgaria are 4.0 cm taller than in the median country.
Bulgaria: 164.6 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Bulgaria is 13 years older than in the median country.
Bulgaria: 44.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.2 more children on average than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1.72 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Bulgaria are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Bulgaria: 22.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bulgaria has produced 1.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Bulgaria: 1.6 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level.
Bulgaria: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Bulgaria’s economy is 2.9 times the size of the median country’s.
Bulgaria: $131 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Bulgaria produces 2.1 times as much per person as the median country.
Bulgaria: Int$44,451 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Bulgaria than in the median country (Gini 5.1 points higher).
Bulgaria: 39.5 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.5% in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 3.5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level.
Bulgaria: 2.1% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Bulgaria and the median country are nearly identical here.
Bulgaria: 46% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Bulgaria spends 2.7 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Bulgaria: $1,258 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Bulgaria live 1.1 years longer than in the median country.
Bulgaria: 75.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 2.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 4.6 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Bulgaria has 2.6 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Bulgaria: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level.
Bulgaria: 24% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Bulgaria smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Bulgaria: 38.7% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 0.13 points higher than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 5.70 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Bulgaria drink 3 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
Bulgaria: 13.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Bulgaria has 13% more meat per person than the median country.
Bulgaria: 63.7 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Bulgaria has 62 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Bulgaria: 3,000 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 315 more hours a year than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1,659 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Bulgaria went to school 1.5 years longer than in the median country.
Bulgaria: 11.5 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Bulgaria welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
Bulgaria: 0.86 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in Bulgaria are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Bulgaria: 82% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level.
Bulgaria: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
74% of people in Bulgaria live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Bulgaria: 74% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Bulgaria has 118 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Bulgaria: 118 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bulgaria’s railway network is 88% longer than the median country’s.
Bulgaria: 4,031 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 0.11 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Bulgaria, but only 31% of the median country.
Bulgaria: 36.2% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Bulgaria emits 57% more CO₂ than someone in the median country.
Bulgaria: 4.7 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
33% of Bulgaria’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Bulgaria: 32.8% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bulgaria carries 24% more fine dust than in the median country.
Bulgaria: 20.6 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.1 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 46% deadlier than in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 8.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 10.6 °C warmer than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 12.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 39% more rain than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria: 730 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bulgaria bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country and Bulgaria are nearly identical here.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or the median country?
The median country has 15% more people than Bulgaria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or the median country?
People in Bulgaria live 1.1 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years in Bulgaria and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Bulgaria or the median country?
Bulgaria and the median country are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
