Benin vs Bulgaria
Benin is 3% larger than Bulgaria.
BeninBulgariaBenin moved onto Bulgaria · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Benin is 1.03× the area of Bulgaria.
 Benin |  Bulgaria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBenin: 1.03× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBenin: 2.3× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBenin: 2.23× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 58 / km²#128 of 194 |
| Urban populationBulgaria: 1.39× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 2.6× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 2.53 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 4.02× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.79× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 26.9 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 19.0 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationThe same | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBenin: 1.13× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBulgaria: 14.8 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 9.83× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBulgaria: 19.7× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 6.81× the university enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.330 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBulgaria: 11.1× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBulgaria: 5.32× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $130.78B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bulgaria: 9.23× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 5.0 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 3.5 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBulgaria: 2.19× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBenin: 27.2× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 5.1 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBenin: 35.5 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 9.6 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBulgaria: 26.0 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 1.7 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 33.6 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBulgaria: 2.26× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBulgaria: 2.42× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBulgaria: 1.3× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 10.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBenin: 34.1 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBulgaria: 41.0 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 2.02× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 8.2 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 0.1 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 40.2× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBenin: 1.71× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBulgaria: 0.65 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.08 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Sofia |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | French | Bulgarian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +229 | +359 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Benin sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Bulgaria at 43° N is stretched to 1.86×. That difference is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it is next to Benin. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Benin bigger than Bulgaria?
- Yes. Benin is 3% larger than Bulgaria. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Bulgaria covers 110,994 km².
- How many times does Bulgaria fit into Benin?
- About 1.0 times: Benin has 1.03× the area of Bulgaria.
- Why do Benin and Bulgaria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Benin is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Bulgaria about 1.86×. That is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it really is next to Benin. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Benin or Bulgaria?
- Benin: 14,814,460 people against 6,433,302. Density: Benin 129 per km², Bulgaria 58 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Bulgaria?
- By gross national income per person, Bulgaria: $17,780 against $1,600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 11.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Bulgaria?
- In Bulgaria: life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years, against 61.0 — 14.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Bulgaria have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Benin: presidential republic; Bulgaria: parliamentary republic.