Europe & Central Asia

A life that begins in Bulgaria

One in every 2,512 babies in the world is born here: about 53,396 a year, 0.1 a minute.

Population: 6,433,302
Births a year: 53,396
Life expectancy: 75.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 5.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
79.5
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
72.2
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
4.6
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
5.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
6
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.1
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
39
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
11.6
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
9.2
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
1.1
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
1.72
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
≈ 6
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
86
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
95
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
70
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 5.5
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$35,326
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
40
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
1
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.5
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
5
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
50
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
36
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
74
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
100
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
99
World: 91
Internet users (%)
82
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
5.7
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.01
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 69.3 → 2026: 75.5 → 2050: 79.9

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 55 → 2026: 5 → 2050: 2

World

Children per woman

1960: 2.3 → 2026: 1.7 → 2050: 1.7

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 37 → 2026: 75 → 2050: 81

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Bulgaria comes up about once in every 2,512 lives.

Other countries in Europe & Central Asia

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.