Bulgaria at its true size
Bulgaria covers 110,994 km², number 103 of 194 countries by area. Home to 6,433,302 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.86× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 110,994 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,433,302 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 58 per km² |
| Capital | Sofia |
| Local time in Sofia | |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Bulgarian |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | EUNATOEuro areaSchengen Area |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +359 |
| Codes | BG · BGR · 100 |
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Where Bulgaria ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#111 of 1946.4 million people#21 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#128 of 19458 people per km²#34 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#60 of 19274% urban#21 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#115 of 1921.72 births per woman#4 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#165 of 192−0.13% a year#29 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#166 of 1928.3 births per 1,000 people#22 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#2 of 19215.6 deaths per 1,000 people#2 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#171 of 19214.4% under 15#26 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#13 of 19222.2% aged 65 and over#12 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#100 of 192−0.5 per 1,000 people#26 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#122 of 1900.08 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#16 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#80 of 19275.8 years#39 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#148 of 1914.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#8 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#23 of 1784.33 doctors per 1,000 people#18 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#47 of 14569.5% gross enrolment#30 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#54 of 190an index of 0.845#33 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#60 of 185$17,780 a person#32 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#89 of 18482% online#42 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#50 of 184$44,451 a person#33 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#96 of 187+3.1% a year#9 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#45 of 176+4.6% a year#7 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#121 of 1783.5% of the labour force#32 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#85 of 1491.0% under $3.00 a day#5 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#41 of 149a Gini index of 39.5#1 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#132 of 1784.7% of jobs#13 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#25 of 17827.9% of jobs#10 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#63 of 17867.4% of jobs#26 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#52 of 1843.7% of GDP#8 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#45 of 16850.7% of GDP#21 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#64 of 1552.0% of GDP#24 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#87 of 191118 subscriptions per 100 people#34 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#46 of 1855.31 tonnes a person#18 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#79 of 19236% forest#20 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#105 of 19020.4% renewable#23 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#86 of 19119.7 µg/m³#3 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#5 of 19144.3% of the land protected#2 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#25 of 19032.2% of the land arable#11 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#44 of 17640.2% of its available fresh water#5 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#130 of 180608 mm a year#30 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Bulgaria’s area, lit up on the map →
- Liberia1.0×Bulgaria and Liberia are almost exactly the same size.
- Cuba1.01×Bulgaria and Cuba are almost exactly the same size.
- Honduras0.99×Bulgaria and Honduras are almost exactly the same size.
- Guatemala1.02×Bulgaria and Guatemala are almost exactly the same size.
- Benin0.97×Bulgaria is 3% smaller than Benin.
- Eritrea0.94×Bulgaria is 6% smaller than Eritrea.
How many times does Bulgaria fit into…
- Russia: about 154 times
- Canada: about 90 times
- United States: about 89 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Bulgaria shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Danube2,850 km
Summits
- Musala2,925 m
- Botev Peak2,376 m
- Midžor2,169 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Bulgaria. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Bulgaria
- How big is Bulgaria?
- Bulgaria covers 110,994 km², which makes it number 103 of 194 countries by area. About 6,433,302 people live there (2025), 58 per km².
- Is Bulgaria bigger than Liberia?
- Bulgaria and Liberia are almost exactly the same size. Bulgaria: 110,994 km²; Liberia: 111,369 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Bulgaria?
- At about 43° latitude, Mercator stretches Bulgaria to roughly 1.86× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Bulgaria?
- Bulgaria shares a land border with Turkey, Romania, Greece, Serbia, North Macedonia.